Cannabinoid signalling in the immature brain: Encephalopathies and neurodevelopmental disorders Onintza Sagredo, Javier Palazuelos, Ana Gutierrez-Rodriguez, Valentina Satta, Ismael Galve-Roperh, Jose Martinez-Orgado Biochemical Pharmacology, 2018, 157, 85-96 DOI : 10.1016/j.bcp.2018.08.014 Abstract The endocannabinoid system exerts a crucial neuromodulatory role in many brain areas that is essential for proper regulation of neuronal activity. The role of cannabinoid signalling controlling neuronal activity in the adult brain is also evident when considering its contribution to adult brain insults or neurodegenerative diseases. In the context of brain genetic or acquired encephalopathies administration of cannabinoid-based molecules has demonstrated to exert symptomatic relief and hence, they are proposed as new potential [...]
Lire la suiteCannabinoïd-Based Therapies and Brain Development: Potential Harmful Effect of Early Modulation of the Endocannabinoid System Patricia Schonhofen, Ivi Juliana Bristot, Jose Alexandre Crippa et al. CNS Drugs, 2018, 32(Suppl 1), 1-16 DOI : 10.1007/s40263-018-0550-4 Abstract The endocannabinoid retrograde signaling pathway is widely expressed in the central nervous system, where it plays major roles in regulating synaptic plasticity (excitatory and inhibitory) through long-term potentiation and long-term depression. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) components—cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids and synthesis/degradation enzymes—are expressed and are functional from early developmental stages and throughout adolescent cortical development, regulating progenitor cell fate, neural differentiation, migration and survival. This may potentially confer increased vulnerability to [...]
Lire la suiteCannabis, Cannabidiol, and Epilepsy. Clinical Considerations and Practical Applications. A new frontier brings new questions and old dilemmas. Adrian L. Turner and M. Scott Perry Practical Neurology, October 2018, 31-35 Background As early as 12,000 BCE, texts from central Asia reported human use of cannabis for nonmedical indications including ropes, fibers, and cloth. Ancient Chinese manuscripts from approximately 10,000 years later give the first documented use of cannabis for medical purposes 1. Other early reports from ancient Mesopotamia, Persia, and India describe cannabis use for indications such as spasticity, depression, anxiety, and epilepsy.1,2 Cannabis for medicinal purposes was not scientifically studied until the 19th century. In 1840, [...]
Lire la suiteCannabis-associated symptom profiles in patients with first episode psychosis and population controls Diego Quattrone, Laura Ferraro, Giada Tripoli, Erika LaCascia, Harriet Quigley, EU-GEI group, Charlotte Gayer-Anderson, Peter B. Jones, James B. Kirkbride, Daniele La Barbera, Ilaria Tarricone, Michael T. Lynskey, Tom P. Freeman, Pak C. Sham, Alaistar Cardno, Evangelos Vassos, Jim van Os, Craig Morgan, Ulrich Reininghaus, Cathryn M. Lewis, Robin M. Murray, and Marta Di Forti mars 2019 DOI : 10.1101/577932 Abstract : Objective : The evidence is mixed on whether cannabis use is associated with a particular symptomatology in first episode psychosis (FEP) patients. The authors set out to investigate a) patterns of [...]
Lire la suiteNeuroimaging Studies of Acute Effects of THC and CBD in Humans and Animals : a Systematic Review A. Batalla, J.A. Crippa, G.F. Busatto, F.S. Guimarães, A.W. Zuardi, O. Valverde, Z. Atakan, P.K. McGuire, S. Bhattacharyya and R. Martín-Santos Current Pharmaceutical Design, 2014, 20, 2168-2185 DOI : 10.2174/13816128113199990432 Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247154314_Neuroimaging_Studies_of_Acute_Effects_of_THC_and_CBD_in_Humans_and_Animals_a_Systematic_Review [accessed May 19, 2019]. Abstract : Background : In recent years, growing concerns about the effects of cannabis use on mental health have renewed interest in cannabis research. In particular, there has been a marked increase in the number of neuroimaging studies of the effects of cannabinoids. We conducted a systematic review to assess the [...]
Lire la suiteCharacterization of Endocannabinoid-Metabolizing Enzymes in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells under Inflammatory Conditions Brittany N. Szafran, Jung Hwa Lee, Abdolsamad Borazjani, Peter Morrison, Grace Zimmerman, Kelly L. Andrzejewski, Matthew K. Ross and Barbara L.F. Kaplan Molecules, 2018, 23, 3167 DOI : 10.3390/molecules23123167 Abstract: Endocannabinoid-metabolizing enzymes are downregulated in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammation in mice, which may serve as a negative feedback mechanism to increase endocannabinoid levels and reduce inflammation. Increased plasma levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) and decreased fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) activity in peripheral lymphocytes from individuals diagnosed with Huntington’s disease (HD) suggests that a similar negative feedback system [...]
Lire la suiteA Review of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-Assisted Psychotherapy Ben Sessa, Laurie Higbed and David Nutt Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2019, Vol. 10, article 138 DOI : 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00138 Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom Abstract : This paper provides a brief review of the history, proposed pharmacological mechanisms, safety issues, and clinical applications of the medicine 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Most clinical MDMA research in patients to date has focused on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this review paper other potential therapeutic applications for MDMA therapy are described, including contemporary studies treating anxiety associated with autism and the authors’ ongoing study exploring the potential [...]
Lire la suite“To learn healing knowledge”: Philosophy, psychedelic studies and transformation David A. Pittaway South African Journal of Philosophy, 2018, 37, 4, 438-451 DOI : 10.1080/02580136.2018.1532186 Abstract : “Philosophical learning” may be summarised in Sobiecki’s fitting catchphrase “to learn healing knowledge”. This catchphrase is taken from an article on the use of psychoactive plants among southern African diviners. In the spirit of this link, I aim to challenge contemporary negative attitudes to the topic of psychedelics, and argue that there are good reasons for philosophers to pay attention to the role that the psychedelic experience can play in promoting philosophical perception. I argue first that the results [...]
Lire la suiteInvestigational Cannabinoids in Seizure Disorders, what have we learned thus far ? Dejana Ružić Zečević, Ziyad Tantoush, Marko Folić, Goran Babić, Milan Radovanović and Slobodan M. Janković may 2018, 23 pages ABSTRACT Introduction : Anticonvulsant activity of cannabinoid attracted much attention in the last decade. Cannabinoids that are currently investigated with intention to become drugs for treatment of epilepsy are cannabidiol, cannabidivarin, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid. Areas covered : Topic of this review are results of pre-clinical and clinical studies with investigational cannabinoids. Relevant literature was searched for in MEDLINE, SCOPUS, EBSCO, GOOGLE SCHOLAR and SCINDEX databases. Expert opinion : Pre-clinical studies confirmed anticonvulsant activity of [...]
Lire la suiteCannabinoïde Signaling in the Skin : Therapeutic Potential of the “C(ut)annabinoid” System Kinga Fanni Tóth, Dorottya Ádám, Tamás Bíró, and Attila Oláh Molecules 2019, 24(5), 918; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24050918 Abstract : The endocannabinoid system (ECS) has lately been proven to be an important, multifaceted homeostatic regulator, which influences a wide-variety of physiological processes all over the body. Its members, the endocannabinoids (eCBs; e.g., anandamide), the eCB-responsive receptors (e.g., CB1, CB2), as well as the complex enzyme and transporter apparatus involved in the metabolism of the ligands were shown to be expressed in several tissues, including the skin. Although the best studied functions over the ECS are [...]
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