With respect to 2-AG, both stress and glucocorticoids do appear to increase 2-AG (at least in rats); however, the effects produced by stress are more robust than those seen following administration of glucocorticoids alone. Thus, it is possible that glucocorticoids are capable of inducing 2-AG synthesis, but that perhaps the coordination of glucocorticoids and neuronal activation (producing elevations in post synaptic calcium conductance) induced by stress produce optimal conditions that mobilize 2-AG greater than following glucocorticoid administration alone. Future studies involving the removal of adrenal steroids will be required to conclusively determine the factors driving changes in endocannabinoid content following stress.
