“Cannabis is the most popular recreational drug used in the world. It is estimated that 178 million people aged 15–64 years used cannabis at least once in 2012. Cannabis or cannabinoids used to manage medical conditions is referred to as medicinal cannabis. There are various formulations of cannabis available on the market. Cannabis can be administered orally, sublingually, or topically; it can be smoked, inhaled, mixed with food, or made into tea. It can be taken in herbal form, extracted naturally from the plant, gained by isomerization of cannabidiol (CBD), or manufactured synthetically. The commercially available prescribed cannabinoids include dronabinol capsules, nabilone capsules, and the oromucosal spray nabiximols. Canada and the Netherlands have government-run programs in which dedicated companies supply quality-controlled herbal cannabis. In the United States, 23 states and Washington, DC (May 2015) have introduced laws permitting the medical use of cannabis; other countries have similar laws.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29870436 https://insights.ovid.com/crossref?an=01787381-201806000-00001]]>
Tag Archives: cannabidiol
Cannabidiol Induces Rapid and Sustained Antidepressant-Like Effects Through Increased BDNF Signaling and Synaptogenesis in the Prefrontal Cortex.
“Currently available antidepressants have a substantial time lag to induce therapeutic response and a relatively low efficacy. The development of drugs that addresses these limitations is critical to improving public health.
Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotomimetic component of Cannabis sativa, is a promising compound since it shows large-spectrum therapeutic potential in preclinical models and humans.
However, its antidepressant properties have not been completely investigated. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate in male rodents (i) whether CBD could induce rapid and sustained antidepressant-like effects after a single administration and (ii) whether such effects could be related to changes in synaptic proteins/function.
These results indicate that CBD induces fast and sustained antidepressant-like effect in distinct animal models relevant for depression. These effects may be related to rapid changes in synaptic plasticity in the mPFC through activation of the BDNF-TrkB signaling pathway.
The data support a promising therapeutic profile for CBD as a new fast-acting antidepressant drug.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29869197
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12035-018-1143-4
Cannabidiol as a Promising Strategy to Treat and Prevent Movement Disorders?
“Movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and dyskinesia are highly debilitating conditions linked to oxidative stress and neurodegeneration. When available, the pharmacological therapies for these disorders are still mainly symptomatic, do not benefit all patients and induce severe side effects. Cannabidiol is a non-psychotomimetic compound from Cannabis sativa that presents antipsychotic, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. Although the studies that investigate the effects of this compound on movement disorders are surprisingly few, cannabidiol emerges as a promising compound to treat and/or prevent them. Here, we review these clinical and pre-clinical studies and draw attention to the potential of cannabidiol in this field.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29867488
“The anticonvulsant activity of 
“Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of acoustic startle reflex is a well-established behavior paradigm to measure sensorimotor gating deficits. PPI is disrupted in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. PPI tests can be used to screen new drugs for treatment of such disorders.
In this review, we discuss how PPI paradigm can help in screening the therapeutic effects of