Gregory L. Gerdeman, Ph.D.

Dr. Gerdeman is a neuroscientist and educator with expertise in the physiological actions of cannabis and the endocannabinoid system (ECS).

His PhD dissertation in Pharmacology from Vanderbilt University was one of the first studies to discover endocannabinoids acting as “retrograde messengers” that regulate synaptic plasticity in the brain, findings that have become a foundation to modern understanding of the ECS and the neuroprotective actions of cannabis. Greg’s research has been widely cited in the scientific literature, and highlighted in such diverse publications as Science, National Geographic, Men’s Health, and The New York Times.

He has been a member of the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) since 1999, and has received research funding through grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

His scholarly research has spanned topics ranging from the synaptic physiology of the ECS; behavioral pharmacology of CB1 receptors and their regulation of habitual memories; the physiological activation of ECS signaling in exercise; and the evolutionary and comparative biology of cannabinoid receptors through studies on invertebrate marine chordates.