The presence of functional cannabinoid CB2 receptors in the CNS has provoked considerable controversy over the past few
years. Formerly considered as an exclusively peripheral receptor, it is now accepted that it is also present in limited amounts
and distinct locations in the brain of several animal species, including humans. Furthermore, the inducible nature of these
receptors under neuroinflammatory conditions, in contrast to CB1, makes them attractive targets for the development of novel
therapeutic approaches. In fact, the undesired psychoactive effects caused by CB1 activation have largely limited the clinical
use of cannabinoid-related compounds that act on these receptors. In this review some recent findings on the
antiinflammatory properties of CB2 receptors are presented, as well as new perspectives that have been obtained based on
studies of human postmortem brain samples. In addition, various working hypotheses are also proposed and discussed.
