Testing associations between cannabis use and subcortical volumes in two large population-based samples.

“Disentangling the putative impact of cannabis on brain morphology from other comorbid substance use is critical. After controlling for the effects of nicotine, alcohol and multi-substance use, this study aimed to determine whether frequent cannabis use is associated with significantly smaller subcortical grey matter volumes.

FINDINGS:

After correcting for multiple testing (p=0.007), cannabis use was unrelated to any subcortical ROI. However, maximum nicotine use was associated with significantly smaller thalamus volumes in middle-age males.

CONCLUSIONS:

In exploratory analyses based on young adult and middle age samples, normal variation in cannabis use is statistically unrelated to individual differences in brain morphology as measured by subcortical volume.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29691937 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/add.14252]]>

Palatability and oral cavity tolerability of THC:CBD oromucosal spray and possible improvement measures in multiple sclerosis patients with resistant spasticity: a pilot study.

Future Medicine Logo “Complaints about Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC):cannabidiol (CBD) oromucosal spray (Sativex®; GW Pharma Ltd, Sailsbury, UK) in the management of multiple sclerosis spasticity include unpleasant taste and oral mucosal anomalies. This pilot study assessed the use of sugar-free chewing gum and/or a refrigerated bottle of THC:CBD oromucosal spray to mitigate these effects.

RESULTS:

Taste perception in patients receiving chewing gum ± cold bottle intervention (Groups A and C combined) was significantly (p = 0.0001) improved from baseline to week 4 while maintaining spasticity control.

CONCLUSION:

Patient comfort, satisfaction and treatment adherence may benefit from these interventions.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29683408 https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/10.2217/nmt-2017-0056
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