Cerebellum and the endocannabinoid system
Balance and coordination.
Balance and coordination. Where the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 sit in this region, what they do there, and what is actually known about CBD; at three levels for Everyone, Students and Experts, with sources.
BrainCB1 high · CB2 very low (Human Protein Atlas)Last updated:
What's on this page?
Interactive 3D · real anatomy and real data
Where in your body are the cannabinoid receptors?
About 1.4 MB to download.
Regions
How to read it Choose a region, or tap a glowing point on the map.
- Solid light is the CB1 receptor, a ring is CB2. Each region has its own color; the color only tells regions apart.
- The strength of the light is the receptor gene level measured in human tissue (Human Protein Atlas). That is why the liver’s point is dim: a healthy liver has few receptors.
- With the layer selector above you can also see other receptors, the enzymes that make and break down endocannabinoids, and the liver enzymes that break down CBD and THC.
- Every piece of information shows its source and the type of evidence (human, animal, cell). You can change the reading level above.
- Drag to rotate. Use the + and − buttons to zoom; on a computer, Ctrl or ⌘ with the scroll wheel, on a phone, two fingers.
Cerebellum: RNA level of the receptor gene in human tissue (tissue consensus data). Human Protein AtlasHuman tissue
| Receptor | Gene | RNA (nTPM) | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| CB1 | CNR1 | 18.3 | high |
| CB2 | CNR2 | 0 | very low |
What does it do there?
When Purkinje cells in the cerebellum are stimulated, they release endocannabinoids; this reduces the excitatory signal reaching them for tens of seconds. In this way, the cells can adjust their own inputs. Kreitzer and Regehr 2001Animal
Substances that stimulate CB1 (including THC) impaired walking and balance beam performance in mice; in the same tests, CBD showed no effect. Patel and Hillard 2001Animal
Student level: terms and cell types
Brief depolarization of a Purkinje cell suppresses parallel fiber and climbing fiber EPSCs for tens of seconds (DSE, depolarization-induced suppression of excitation). Paired-pulse plasticity changes and presynaptic calcium entry decreases; that is, the effect is presynaptic. When postsynaptic calcium is buffered with BAPTA, the suppression disappears; the CB1 antagonist AM251 blocks DSE, while the agonist WIN 55,212-2 occludes it. Kreitzer and Regehr 2001Animal
In mice, in gait analysis and the beam-walking test, CB1 agonists (CP55940, WIN 55,212-2, THC, anandamide and its analogs) increased gait width, a measure of truncal ataxia; pretreatment with the CB1 antagonist SR141716 reduced this. Cannabidiol and the inactive enantiomer WIN 55,212-3 did not affect these measures; dopamine agonists did not correct the impairment. Patel and Hillard 2001Animal
Expert level: method notes and numbers
Cerebellum: RNA level of the receptor gene in human tissue (tissue consensus data). In the HPA brain region data (cerebellum), CB1 is 26.9 nTPM; the two datasets come from different samples and methods, so their numbers cannot be converted into each other directly. Human Protein AtlasHuman tissue
Method note
Kreitzer and Regehr 2001: whole-cell recording (EPSCs) in rat cerebellar slices, paired-pulse analysis, fluorometric imaging of presynaptic calcium, postsynaptic BAPTA. Patel and Hillard 2001: male ICR mice; the abstract does not give doses or effect sizes. Kreitzer and Regehr 2001AnimalPatel and Hillard 2001Animal
What is known about CBD?
We have no guide topic directly related to this region. In a randomized study done in real-world traffic, vaporized CBD-dominant cannabis did not clearly impair driving compared with placebo, while THC-dominant cannabis did; the researchers also wrote that an important effect of CBD could not be completely ruled out. Arkell 2020Human · clinical study
Which receptor and enzyme genes are read in this region?
Values in this region for the genes in the map's layer selector: besides CB1 and CB2, the other targets of cannabinoids, the enzymes that make and break down endocannabinoids, and the liver enzymes that break down CBD and THC.
| Gene | What does it do? | Here | Tissue where it is read the most |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receptors | |||
| CB1 CNR1 | Cannabinoid receptor | 18.3 | cerebral cortex (18.6) |
| CB2 CNR2 | Cannabinoid receptor | 0.0 | spleen (8.4) |
| TRPV1 | Heat and chili pepper sensor · ion channel | 12.1 | liver (21.8) |
| GPR55 | Long an "orphan" receptor · in the cell membrane | 0.0 | testis (4.4) |
| PPARγ PPARG | Gene switch · in the cell nucleus | 2.8 | adipose tissue (153.2) |
| 5-HT1A HTR1A | Serotonin receptor · in the cell membrane | 0.0 | hippocampal formation (6.1) |
| TRPV2 | Relative of TRPV1 · ion channel | 1.7 | lung (29.5) |
| Endocannabinoid enzymes | |||
| NAPE-PLD NAPEPLD | Makes anandamide | 3.7 | kidney (13.9) |
| FAAH | Breaks down anandamide | 23.4 | testis (46.0) |
| DAGLα DAGLA | Makes 2-AG | 7.8 | cerebral cortex (12.3) |
| DAGLβ DAGLB | Makes 2-AG | 9.3 | adrenal gland (15.2) |
| MGL MGLL | Breaks down 2-AG | 89.7 | adipose tissue (161.3) |
| ABHD6 | Breaks down 2-AG | 24.9 | liver (60.7) |
| ABHD12 | Breaks down 2-AG | 57.5 | epididymis (125.2) |
| Enzymes that break down CBD and THC | |||
| CYP3A4 | Breaks down CBD and THC | 0.1 | liver (3,367.1) |
| CYP2C19 | Breaks down CBD | 0.0 | liver (178.0) |
| CYP2C9 | Breaks down THC | 0.0 | liver (1,607.6) |
RNA level shows how much the gene is read in this tissue; it does not directly show the amount of protein or how active an enzyme is. Human Protein Atlas (layers)Human tissue
Identifiers and citation
- Cerebellum
- Cerebellum · MeSH D002531 · Wikidata Q130983
- Receptors
- CB1 (CNR1, UniProt P21554) · CB2 (CNR2, UniProt P34972)
How to cite: cbd.school editorial team. Cerebellum and the endocannabinoid system. Endocannabinoid system 3D map, cbd.school. Last updated October 24, 2026. https://cbd.school/learn/endocannabinoid-system-map/beyincik/
The body model is derived from BodyParts3D (DBCLS, CC BY 4.0) and Z-Anatomy (CC BY-SA 4.0); receptor levels from Human Protein Atlas v25 (CC BY 4.0). The map, text and downloaded images are CC BY-SA 4.0. An independent expert review has not been done yet. All licenses
Other pages of the map
Overview: what the endocannabinoid system is, the feedback brake at the synapse, CBD's targets, lesson mode, data and licenses.
Sources
Show 5 references
- Human Protein Atlas v25: tissue RNA consensus data (rna_tissue_consensus.tsv, HPA and GTEx, nTPM) and brain region data (rna_brain_region_hpa.tsv, nTPM), CNR1 (ENSG00000118432) and CNR2 (ENSG00000188822); v25.proteinatlas.org, file date November 6, 2025, downloaded October 24, 2026. Uhlén M et al. Tissue-based map of the human proteome. Science. 2015;347(6220):1260419. License CC BY 4.0. PMID 25613900 · doi:10.1126/science.1260419 Human tissue
- Kreitzer AC, Regehr WG. Retrograde inhibition of presynaptic calcium influx by endogenous cannabinoids at excitatory synapses onto Purkinje cells. Neuron. 2001;29(3):717-27. PMID 11301030 · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(01)00246-x Animal
- Patel S, Hillard CJ. Cannabinoid CB(1) receptor agonists produce cerebellar dysfunction in mice. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2001;297(2):629-37. PMID 11303052 Animal
- Arkell TR, Vinckenbosch F, Kevin RC et al. Effect of Cannabidiol and Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol on Driving Performance: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2020;324(21):2177-2186. PMID 33258890 · doi:10.1001/jama.2020.21218 Human · clinical study
- Human Protein Atlas v25: tissue RNA consensus data (rna_tissue_consensus.tsv, HPA and GTEx, nTPM), the 17 genes in the map's layer selector: CNR1, CNR2, TRPV1, GPR55, PPARG, HTR1A, TRPV2, NAPEPLD, FAAH, DAGLA, DAGLB, MGLL, ABHD6, ABHD12, CYP3A4, CYP2C19, CYP2C9; v25.proteinatlas.org/download/tsv/rna_tissue_consensus.tsv.zip, downloaded October 24, 2026. Uhlén M et al. Tissue-based map of the human proteome. Science. 2015;347(6220):1260419. License CC BY 4.0. PMID 25613900 · doi:10.1126/science.1260419 Human tissue