People who smoke marijuana famously get “the munchies.” That’s because cannabidiol, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, acts on cannabinoid receptors in the brain, creating a cascade of effects, including a lowering of inhibitory signals. By filling up these receptors, cannabidiol muffles the messages that signal satiety. The result: a strong urge to eat.

But cannabinoid receptors aren’t just sitting around waiting for weed. Our bodies produce their own cannabinoids, known as endocannabinoids. And research suggests that these endocannabinoid signals play a significant role in regulating hunger urges.

Exploring a promising target

Cannibidiol receptors, which are found on cell membranes throughout the body, come in two main forms: CB1 and CB2. A drug known as rimonabant, which works by selectively blocking CB1 receptors, appeared to be effective at helping patients lose weight. It was approved for sale in Europe in 2006, but not in the United States, where the FDA was concerned about safety. Indeed, people taking rimonabant had an increased risk of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. Less than three years after it was first approved, the drug was pulled from the market.

But rimonabant’s effectiveness as a weight-loss drug has turned attention to CB2 receptors. Could they offer the hunger-suppressing effects without altering mood? A paper by Australian researchers in late 2015 found that a CB2 receptor agonist, JWH–015, significantly reduced body weight in diet-induced obese mice. It also found no adverse impact on mood.


“If the results lead to a human trial, this method could one day assist individuals in becoming less prone to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.”

Major potential

Inspired by this result, rising UAB junior Aaron Landis will spend the summer exploring further in the lab of Robert Sorge, Ph.D., assistant professor in theUAB College of Arts and Sciences Department of Psychology. Landis, who is majoring in neuroscience and is a member of the UAB Honors CollegeUniversity Honors Program, is one of 10 undergraduates selected for the inaugural UAB President’s Summer Research Scholarship Program. The award includes $4,500 for students to finance 12 weeks of research in a UAB lab, plus $500 for their mentors.

Landis’ project involves multiple groups of mice, who will eat a synthesized version of the standard American diet developed by Sorge. [Related article: Research shows typical American diet can worsen chronic pain]Meanwhile, they will receive regular infusions of the CB2 receptor agonist. “It is expected to reduce the negative effects of this diet on the mice,” Landis said. “If the results lead to a human trial, this method could one day assist individuals in becoming less prone to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.”

Golden opportunities

In his sophomore year, Landis took an interdisciplinary honors course that explored “America’s flawed food system,” he said. “And since I knew that Dr. Sorge constantly implements dietary effects in his studies,” he thought that a place in the Sorge lab would be “a perfect fit,” he said.

Landis plans to attend medical school “and one day practice in neurology,” he said. The summer research scholarship program will help him advance toward that goal as well, he explains.

“I found so many opportunities that Birmingham could give me over a summer,” he said. “Along with research, I wanted to volunteer and shadow at the hospital, as well as take a class. This scholarship is definitely going to help with everything.”