Assessing the treatment of cannabidiolic acid methyl ester: a stable synthetic analogue of cannabidiolic acid on c‑Fos and NeuN expression in the hypothalamus of rats Eric Murillo‑Rodríguez, Diana Millán‑Aldaco, Gloria Arankowsky‑Sandoval, Tetsuya Yamamoto, Roger G. Pertwee, Linda Parker and Raphael Mechoulam Abstract Background : Cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychotropic compound from Cannabis sativa, shows positive results on controlling several health disturbances; however, comparable data regarding additional chemical from C. sativa, such as cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), is scarce due to its instability. To address this limitation, a stable CBDA analogue, CBDA methyl ester (HU-580), was synthetized and showed CBDA-like effects. Recently, we described that HU-580 increased [...]
Lire la suiteFlashback phenomena after administration of LSD and psilocybin in controlled studies with healthy participants Felix Müller, Elias Kraus, Friederike Holze, Anna Becker, Laura Ley, Yasmin Schmid, Patrick Vizeli, Matthias E. Liechti, Stefan Borgwardt Psychopharmacology, 2022, 1-11. doi : 10.1007/s00213-022-06066-z Abstract Background : LSD and psilocybin are increasingly used in phase I trials and evaluated as therapeutic agents for mental disorders. The phenomenon of reoccurring drug-like experiences after the acute substance effects have worn off was described for both substances and especially attributed to LSD. According to the DSM-V, the persisting and distressing manifestation of these experiences is called hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder (HPPD). Data on both conditions [...]
Lire la suiteMedical cannabis for severe treatment resistant epilepsy in children : a case-series of 10 patients Rayyan Zafar, Anne Schlag, Lawrence Phillips, David J Nutt BMJ Paediatrics Open, 2021, 5, e001234. doi : 10.1136/bmjpo-2021-001234 ABSTRACT Objectives : To report the findings of a case-series of 10 children suffering with intractable epilepsies in the UK to determine the feasibility for using whole-plant cannabis medicines to treat seizures in children. Setting : This study was conducted retrospectively through collecting clinical data from caretakers and clinicians on study outcome variables. Participants were recruited through the MedCann Support and End our Pain charity groups which are patient representative groups that support children [...]
Lire la suiteWhole-plant Cannabis Linked to Large Reduction in Seizures Kelli Whitlock Burton Medscape - Dec 29, 2021. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/965756 Whole-plant cannabis is linked to a significant reduction in seizures in children with severe treatment-resistant epilepsy, early research suggests. In a small case series, children with severe treatment-resistant epilepsy treated with a range of whole-plant extract cannabis-based medical products (CBMPs) reported an 86% reduction in monthly seizures. All participants had no improvement with traditional antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). The study adds to a small but growing body of research investigating whole-plant cannabis medicines containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in pediatric epilepsies. Rayyan Raja Zafar "Although we have previously noted the superior efficacy of whole-plant medical cannabis is a previous [...]
Lire la suiteEpidiolex Plus THC May Lower Seizures in Pediatric Epilepsy Randy Dotinga Medscape.com - Oct 14, 2021. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/960842 Children and young adults with epilepsy had fewer seizures after combination treatment with the drug Epidiolex, which contains the cannabidiol (CBD), and various doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the component of cannabis that makes people high in larger quantities, researchers reported. "THC can contribute to seizure control and mitigation some of the side effects of CBD," said study coauthor and Austin, Tex., child neurologist Karen Keough, MD, in an interview. Keough and colleagues presented their findings at the 50th annual meeting of the Child Neurology Society. In a landmark move, the Food and [...]
Lire la suiteLong-Term Efficacy for Epidiolex in Resistant Epilepsy Pauline Anderson Medscape - Dec 17, 2018. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/906653 NEW ORLEANS — Results of open-label extension trials show the recently approved drug Epidiolex (GW Pharmaceuticals), a purified formulation of cannabidiol (CBD), is safe and effective beyond a year in patients with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) and Dravet Syndrome, two rare and resistant epilepsy types. "We now have long-term data to say that it still works; the efficacy is not going to drop off, and more importantly, it's still going to be safe and you're not going to learn anything new down the road," study author Anup D. Patel, MD, Section Chief of Pediatric Neurology, [...]
Lire la suiteData Supporting Cannabis for Childhood Epilepsy Remain Scarce Will Pass Medscape.com, September 13, 2021 https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/958616 Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) have shown early promise for refractory childhood epilepsy, but positive media attention, as well as pressure from politicians and marijuana advocacy groups, should not supplant clinical trials and acceptable standards of evidence, according to two leading experts. In a recent invited review article, Martin Kirkpatrick, MD, of the University of Dundee (Scotland), and Finbar O'Callaghan, MD, PhD, of University College London suggested that childhood epilepsy may be easy terrain for commercial interests to break ground, and from there, build their presence. "Children with epilepsy are at risk of being [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelic Therapy and Suicide : A Myth Busted ? Megan Brooks Medscape Psychiatry, February 01, 2022 www.medscape.com/viewarticle/967669_print A commonly held belief that classic psychedelic therapy can trigger suicidal thoughts, actions, or other types of self-harm is not supported by research, and, in fact, the opposite may be true. Results from a meta-analysis of individual patient data showed that psychedelic therapy was associated with large, acute, and sustained decreases in suicidality across a range of clinical patient populations. "This is the first analysis to synthesize suicidality outcome data from recent clinical trials with psychedelics. It gives us a better understanding of the effects of psychedelics on suicidality in the [...]
Lire la suiteThe neurobiology of psychedelic drugs : implications for the treatment of mood disorders Franz X. Vollenweider and Michael Kometer Perspectives, www.nature.com, 2010, 11, 642-651. Abstract After a pause of nearly 40 years in research into the effects of psychedelic drugs, recent advances in our understanding of the neurobiology of psychedelics, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin and ketamine have led to renewed interest in the clinical potential of psychedelics in the treatment of various psychiatric disorders. Recent behavioural and neuroimaging data show that psychedelics modulate neural circuits that have been implicated in mood and affective disorders, and can reduce the clinical symptoms of [...]
Lire la suiteSerotonin and brain function : a tale of two receptors RL Carhart-Harris and DJ Nutt Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2017, Vol. 31, (9), 1091–1120. Doi : 10.1177/0269881117725915 Abstract Previous attempts to identify a unified theory of brain serotonin function have largely failed to achieve consensus. In this present synthesis, we integrate previous perspectives with new and older data to create a novel bipartite model centred on the view that serotonin neurotransmission enhances two distinct adaptive responses to adversity, mediated in large part by its two most prevalent and researched brain receptors: the 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors. We propose that passive coping (i.e. tolerating a source of stress) [...]
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