Importance of Medical Cannabis for Psychical And Mental Health
Contributed article provided by Laurice Wardin; loudcloudhealth.net
The legalization of medical cannabis opened a lot of doors for new research about the health benefits and risks of consuming the plant. Since the cannabis industry is relatively new, we have barely scratched the surface. But what we already know can give us some sense of what we might expect to discover in the future.
For example, cannabis use in medicine is showing incredible promise to improve current methods of treatment. That said, cannabis itself is not a miracle drug, but it can affect the body in a way that relieves certain symptoms that are hard to control with regular medications.
We can see this example in long term studies with patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis or Alzheimer’s disease. Cannabis compounds are effective in controlling muscle tone and reducing stiffness and muscle spasms. This helps patients with MS to better cope with their tremors.
When it comes to Alzheimer’s disease, the plant has a positive effect on the cognitive abilities of the brain, so it may slow down the process in the early stages.
Another area where medical cannabis has a great impact is mental health. According to studies, mental health disorders are one of the main reasons for medical cannabis use. So far, we have seen potential in treating patients with PTSD and substance abuse.
As we have mentioned earlier, cannabis has a positive influence on cognitive abilities, including cognitive assessment and memory, which can greatly help in coping with the symptoms of PTSD and fighting back. The same goes for substance abuse.
There is no doubt that more research is needed to understand all the physical and mental health impacts of medical cannabis. But what we know so far is enough to comprehend its value and to continue with research.
Want to know more about the health benefits and risks of consuming cannabis? Take a look at this infographic!
Please note: avstim.com is providing this information as a service to the community. However, this does not constitute an endorsement. Thank you.
Three parent factors that heighten the prevalence of childhood physical abuse
The connection between abuse and addiction, intimate partner violence and mental illness
June 11, 2019
Science Daily/University of Toronto
Adults who had parents who struggled with addiction, intimate partner violence and mental illness are more than 30 times more likely to have been victims of childhood physical abuse than those whose parents did not have these problems, once age and race were taken into account.
The study by researchers at the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Institute of Life Course & Aging was published online this week in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Findings indicated that between 66% and 78% of adults who grew up in homes where all three risk factors were present reported that, before the age of 18, their parent or an adult in their home had ever "hit, beat, kick, or physically hurt (them) in any way." Respondents were told not to include spanking.
"With each additional risk factor experienced, the prevalence of childhood physical abuse increased dramatically. Intimate partner violence was a strong predictor of childhood abuse, even in the absence of the other two risk factors; more than one-third of respondents who had been exposed solely to parental intimate partner violence reported that they had been physically abused" reported co-author Senyo Agbeyaka, recent MSW graduate and a social worker in health care. "Between 23% and 31% of those exposed to both parental addictions and parental mental illness, but not parental domestic violence, reported they had been physically abused as a child."
"We were so astonished by the magnitude of the association between the combination of these three risk factors and childhood physical abuse in the 2010 survey that we replicated the analysis with a different sample from a 2012 survey," says co-author Jami-Leigh Sawyer, a University of Toronto doctoral candidate in social work. "The findings in both data sets and for each gender were remarkably consistent and very worrisome."
The study was based on two representative community samples, one study conducted in 2010 with 22,862 adults and the second, in 2012, with a different sample of 29,801 adults. The data were drawn from the Brief Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) and separate analyses were conducted for each sex. A major limitation of the study is use of retrospective self-report of these early adversities and a lack of information on the exact timing when they occurred. The findings only indicate correlation and cannot be interpreted as causative.
The study's findings have important clinical implications for pediatricians, family doctors, social workers and other healthcare providers working with children and their families, says lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, Sandra Rotman Chair at the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Director of the Institute of Life Course and Aging. "It appears that children from homes with parental intimate partner violence alone, or at least two of the other risk factors are particularly vulnerable to abuse. Such knowledge will hopefully improve the targeting of screening for childhood physical abuse."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190611081849.htm
Young people at risk of addiction have differences in key brain region
March 4, 2019
Science Daily/University of Cambridge
Young adults at risk of developing problems with addiction show key differences in an important region of the brain, according to an international team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge.
The study adds further evidence to support the idea that an individual's biological makeup plays a significant role in whether or not they develop an addictive disorder.
Adolescence and young adulthood is an important time in a person's development. It is during this time that individuals begin to demonstrate behaviours that are associated with addiction and which suggest that they may be at risk.
One of these behaviours is impulsivity. Sometimes, we need to make quick decisions, for example in response to a danger or a threat. At other times, it is better to hesitate and decide only after careful deliberation. Impulsivity refers to where we respond and act prematurely, without considering the consequences of our actions. While most people occasionally act impulsively, people affected by disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), substance and behavioural addictions, and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, show much greater levels of impulsivity.
In a study published today in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, a team of researchers at Cambridge's Department of Psychiatry, in collaboration with a group at Aarhus University in Denmark, has shown a strong association between increased behavioural impulsivity in young adults and abnormalities in nerve cells in the putamen, a key brain region involved in addictive disorders.
As part of the study, 99 young adults aged 16 to 26 carried out a computer-based measure of impulsivity. The researchers also scanned the volunteers' brains using a sequence that is sensitive to myelin content. Myelin is a protein-rich sheath that coats the axis of a nerve cell, analogous to the plastic coating that surrounds electrical wiring, and is essential to fast nerve conduction in the brain and body.
The team found that those young adults who displayed higher measures of behavioural impulsivity also had lower levels of myelin in the putamen. This work builds on similar findings in rodent models of impulsivity from scientists at Cambridge and elsewhere.
"People who show heightened impulsivity are more likely to experience a number of mental health issues, including substance and behavioural addictions, eating disorders, and ADHD," says Dr Camilla Nord of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, lead author on the study.
This suggests that impulsivity is an 'endophenotype', say the researchers; in other words, a set of behavioural and brain changes that increases people's general risk for developing a group of psychiatric and neurological disorders.
"We know that most mental health symptoms are not specific to particular disorders," says Dr Nord. "This work provides an important piece of the puzzle in establishing brain signatures that are general across a number of mental health disorders, rather than specific to any single one."
The putamen is a key brain hub in addiction, sending dopamine signals elsewhere in the brain, and helping mediate how impulsively we behave. "The significance of decreased myelination implies there are tiny microstructural changes in this part of the brain affecting its function, and thereby affecting impulsivity," says senior author Dr Valerie Voon, also from Cambridge.
"The degree of myelination alters the speed and efficiency of neuronal communication, meaning that if a population has decreased myelination only in one particular region, as we show, there is something highly local about any changes in neural speed and efficiency," add co-author Dr Seung-Goo Kim.
Although it is not possible to say definitely whether the decreased myelination causes individuals to behave impulsively, the fact that all participants were healthy and had not been diagnosed with addiction or any other psychiatric diagnosis suggests a more causal link than has been demonstrated in previous studies.
In future, the finding may help in predicting an individual's risk of developing a problem with addiction, say the researchers, but they caution that this would require further research and testing.
The research was funded by the Aarhus University Research Foundation, the Danish Ministry for Social Affairs and the Interior and the UK Medical Research Council. The work was also supported by NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190304105436.htm
Providers show interest in prescribing therapeutic cannabinoids
December 10, 2018
Science Daily/George Washington University
The cannabis plant and its derivatives have been used in medicinal treatments for millennia. With the recent legalization of medical marijuana in 33 states across the country, as well as Washington, D.C., several specialties are weighing the possibilities of integrating cannabinoids into patient therapies, including dermatology.
Recent research has identified potential uses for cannabinoids, which are derived either from the resin of the cannabis plant or synthetically produced in the lab, in treatment for conditions such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and wound healing.
A team from the George Washington University (GW) recently conducted a web-based survey to determine the perspectives of dermatology providers on the uses and potential benefits of cannabinoids as therapies in dermatology, as well as their knowledge about cannabinoids in general.
"Patients are enthusiastic about exploring the use of cannabinoids as part of their therapeutic armamentarium, and even initiate the conversation with their dermatologists," said Adam Friedman, MD, professor of dermatology at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences and senior author on the study.
Five hundred and thirty-one participants answered 19 multiple choice questions on demographics as well as perspectives on and knowledge of cannabinoids use in dermatology.
The survey revealed that, overall, dermatology providers are interested in learning more about and recommending cannabinoids to their patients. However, they are currently lacking in knowledge on cannabinoids and many posed concerns about the associated societal stigmas, limiting their pursuit of these active agents as potential treatments.
These results, the authors wrote, show the need for further education and research on the benefits and risks of cannabinoids in dermatology.
"The use of cannabis in medicine is a hot topic," Friedman said. "With the amount of mainstream coverage and the interest from patients, it's important that dermatology providers are able to make the right call when it comes to education and recommending cannabinoids to their patients."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181210122857.htm
Vicious circle leads to loss of brain cells in old age
Researchers determine how dangerous inflammations in the brain are caused
Science Daily/August 31, 2018
University of Bonn
The so-called CB1 receptor is responsible for the intoxicating effect of cannabis. However, it appears to act also as a kind of "sensor" with which neurons measure and control the activity of certain immune cells in the brain. A recent study by the University of Bonn at least points in this direction. If the sensor fails, chronic inflammation may result -- probably the beginning of a dangerous vicious circle. The publication appears in the journal Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience.
The activity of the so-called microglial cells plays an important role in brain aging. These cells are part of the brain's immune defense: For example, they detect and digest bacteria, but also eliminate diseased or defective nerve cells. They also use messenger substances to alert other defense cells and thus initiate a concerted campaign to protect the brain: an inflammation.
This protective mechanism has undesirable side effects; it can also cause damage to healthy brain tissue. Inflammations are therefore usually strictly controlled. "We know that so-called endocannabinoids play an important role in this," explains Dr. Andras Bilkei-Gorzo from the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn. "These are messenger substances produced by the body that act as a kind of brake signal: They prevent the inflammatory activity of the glial cells."
Endocannabinoids develop their effect by binding to special receptors. There are two different types, called CB1 and CB2. "However, microglial cells have virtually no CB1 and very low level of CB2 receptors," emphasizes Bilkei-Gorzo. "They are therefore deaf on the CB1 ear. And yet they react to the corresponding brake signals -- why this is the case, has been puzzling so far."
Neurons as "middlemen"
The scientists at the University of Bonn have now been able to shed light on this puzzle. Their findings indicate that the brake signals do not communicate directly with the glial cells, but via middlemen -- a certain group of neurons, because this group has a large number of CB1 receptors. "We have studied laboratory mice in which the receptor in these neurons was switched off," explains Bilkei-Gorzo. "The inflammatory activity of the microglial cells was permanently increased in these animals."
In contrast, in control mice with functional CB1 receptors, the brain's own defense forces were normally inactive. This only changed in the present of inflammatory stimulus. "Based on our results, we assume that CB1 receptors on neurons control the activity of microglial cells," said Bilkei-Gorzo. "However, we cannot yet say whether this is also the case in humans."
This is how it might work in mice: As soon as microglial cells detect a bacterial attack or neuronal damage, they switch to inflammation mode. They produce endocannabinoids, which activate the CB1 receptor of the neurons in their vicinity. This way, they inform the nerve cells about their presence and activity. The neurons may then be able to limit the immune response. The scientists were able to show that neurons similarly regulatory the other major glial cell type, the astroglial cells.
During ageing the production of cannabinoids declines reaching a low level in old individuals. This could lead to a kind of vicious circle, Bilkei-Gorzo suspects: "Since the neuronal CB1 receptors are no longer sufficiently activated, the glial cells are almost constantly in inflammatory mode. More regulatory neurons die as a result, so the immune response is less regulated and may become free-running."
It may be possible to break this vicious circle with drugs in the future. It is for instance hoped that cannabis will help slow the progression of dementia. Its ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is a powerful CB1 receptor activator -- even in low doses free from intoxicating effect. Last year, the researchers from Bonn and colleagues from Israel were able to demonstrate that cannabis can reverse the aging processes in the brains of mice. This result now suggest that an anti-inflammatory effect of THC may play a role in its positive effect on the ageing brain.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180831130120.htm
Male tobacco smokers have brain-wide reduction of CB1 receptors
A study examines cannabinoid CB1 receptor binding in healthy male tobacco smokers
August 15, 2018
Science Daily/Elsevier
Chronic, frequent tobacco smokers have a decreased number of cannabinoid CB1 receptors, the "pot receptor," when compared with non-smokers, reports a study in Biological Psychiatry.
The study, the result of a collaboration of researchers affiliated with the National Institutes of Health, Maryland, supports that CB1 receptors play a role in smoking. The findings add to the group's previous studies that report the same finding in people who abuse cannabis or alcohol, suggesting that reduction of CB1 receptors is a common feature of addiction.
Of the 46 men who participated in the study all were considered healthy -- 18 of the participants were frequent cigarette smokers and 28 did not smoke. The researchers measured the number of receptors by using a brain imaging technique to detect a drug that binds to CB1 receptors.
The analysis indicated a nearly 20 percent reduction in CB1 receptors in the brains of smokers compared to non-smokers. The reduced receptor number was present throughout the brain (in all 18 regions examined in the study), with some regions more affected than others. The reduction in receptors was not exacerbated by more cigarettes smoked per day, or by starting before the age of 18.
"We think that the reduction of CB1 receptors may be unhealthy because these receptors are involved in many normal brain functions, such as memory and coping with stress," said Jussi Hirvonen, MD, PhD, of NIH and University of Turku, Finland. Dr. Hirvonen was co-first author of the study, along with Paolo Zanotti-Fregonara, MD, PhD, of NIH and Houston Methodist Research Institute, Texas.
A drug that blocks CB1 receptors, called rimonabant, has been tested in clinical trials for smoking cessation. Although the drug seemed to help people quit smoking, it caused problematic psychiatric side effects. "While rimonabant was associated with unacceptable risk for mood symptoms and suicidal ideation, other addiction treatments targeting cannabinoid signaling should be explored," said John Krystal, MD, Editor of Biological Psychiatry.
The findings have important and immediate implications for research examining the role of the brain's cannabinoid system in the cause of neuropsychiatric disorders. Because smoking is so common in people with neuropsychiatric disorders, clinical studies will have to carefully consider smoking habits in patients that could interfere with cannabinoid receptor measurements.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180815105316.htm
Cannabinoid improves survival rates of mice with pancreatic cancer
July 30, 2018
Science Daily/Queen Mary University of London
Mice with pancreatic cancer that were treated with a naturally occurring constituent of medicinal cannabis alongside chemotherapy, survived almost three times longer than those treated with chemotherapy alone, a new study reports.
The study is published in the journal Oncogene and was led by Queen Mary University of London and Curtin University, Australia. It tested the impact of the cannabinoid Cannabidiol (CBD) on the use of the commonly used chemotherapy medication Gemcitabine as a treatment for pancreatic cancer in mice.
Each year around 9,800 people in the UK are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The disease is particularly aggressive and has one of the lowest survival rate of all cancers.
Lead researcher Professor Marco Falasca from Queen Mary University of London said: "This is a remarkable result. We found that mice with pancreatic cancer survived nearly three times longer if a constituent of medicinal cannabis was added to their chemotherapy treatment.
"Cannabidiol is already approved for use in clinics, which means we can quickly go on to test this in human clinical trials. If we can reproduce these effects in humans, cannabidiol could be in use in cancer clinics almost immediately, compared to having to wait for authorities to approve a new drug.
"The life expectancy for pancreatic cancer patients has barely changed in the last 40 years because there are very few, and mostly only palliative care, treatments available. Given the five-year survival rate for people with pancreatic cancer is less than seven per cent, the discovery of new treatments and therapeutic strategies is urgently needed."
The cannabinoid CBD does not cause psychoactive effects, as opposed to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- the cannabinoid known to cause the psychoactive effects in cannabis. As such, CBD is already cleared for use in the clinic, and does not face the same challenges as products including cannabis oil, which contain controlled substances such as THC.
The researchers add that CBD is also known to improve the side effects of chemotherapy, including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, meaning it could also improve the quality of life of patients undergoing chemotherapy.
The research was supported by the UK charity Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund and the Avner Pancreatic Cancer Foundation and also involved researchers from The Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Scotland.
The study only looked at the effect of this treatment in mice, and clinical trials in humans are needed to confirm whether or not CBD improves survival rates of pancreatic cancer patients.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180730160618.htm
Cannabis does not improve breathlessness during exercise in patients with advanced COPD
July 28, 2018
Science Daily/American Thoracic Society
Inhaled vaporized cannabis does not appear to improve or worsen exercise performance and activity-related breathlessness in patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a randomized controlled trial published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
In "Effect of Vaporized Cannabis on Exertional Breathlessness and Exercise Endurance in Advanced COPD: A Randomized Controlled Trial," Sara J. Abdallah, a PhD candidate in exercise physiology at McGill University, and co-authors report that the trial did not find a difference between vaporized cannabis and placebo on lung volumes or heart rate at rest or during exercise. Nor did the study find that cannabis affected cognitive function, mood or psycho-activity.
The burden of breathlessness in patients with COPD is high. Even when on optimal medication for their lung disease, many patients with COPD continue to suffer from disabling breathlessness at rest and while performing basic activities of daily living.
"We first became aware of the therapeutic potential of cannabis in managing COPD symptoms from patients themselves," Ms. Abdallah said. "We decided to pursue this study because patients were reporting symptomatic relief of their COPD symptoms after cannabis use."
In the 1970s, controlled studies reported that smoking cannabis opened the airways of adults with and without asthma. More recently, a large observational study found a positive association between cannabis use and forced expiratory volume (the amount of air that can be forcefully exhaled in one second) and forced vital capacity (the total amount of air that can be exhaled after taking a deep breath).
In the current crossover study of 16 patients with advanced COPD, all the patients were taking optimal medication for their lung disease: dual or triple inhalation therapy (long-acting muscarinic antagonist and long-acting beta2-agonist bronchodilator with or without an inhaled corticosteroid).
Participants were randomly selected to inhale a single dose of vaporized cannabis or a placebo before exercising on a stationary bike. Participants then "crossed over" to the other arm of the trial. Neither the researchers nor the patients knew when they were receiving the vaporized cannabis or the placebo.
Although the study did not find a clinically meaningful negative or positive effect of vaporized cannabis on breathlessness during exercise or on exercise performance, the researchers noted variability in responsiveness to the cannabis.
After inhaling vaporized cannabis, breathlessness during exercise improved in 4 of the 16 patients. In the remaining 12 patients, breathlessness during exercise did not change, or worsened.
Senior study author Dennis Jensen, PhD, associate professor of kinesiology and physical education and a scientist in the Translational Research in Respiratory Diseases Program at McGill University, said that trial results may not be generalizable because the number of participants was small and represented a relatively homogenous group of patients with stable, but advanced, COPD.
In addition to the fact that all the participants were on optimal COPD therapy, Dr. Jensen, who is also director of the McGill Research Centre for Physical Activity and Health, suggested a number of factors that may have limited the therapeutic benefit of cannabis in the study, including the dose of cannabis used, that it was inhaled rather than taken orally and that it was administered only once and not repeated.
"Future clinical trials are warranted and should evaluate the therapeutic potential of various doses of vaporized and oral cannabis, including oils and pills, administered over longer periods of time in patients with mild to moderate COPD," he said.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180728084133.htm
How cannabis and cannabis-based drugs harm your brain
July 23, 2018
Science Daily/Lancaster University
Long-term use of either cannabis or cannabis-based drugs impairs memory say researchers.
The study has implications for both recreational users and people who use the drug to combat epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain.
They found that mice exposed to the drug long-term had "significant ... memory impairments" and could not even discriminate between a familiar and novel object.
There is little understanding of the potential negative side effects of long-term cannabinoid exposure, though it is already known that heavy, regular cannabis use increases the risk of developing mental health problems including psychosis and schizophrenia.
More and more people are using the drug long-term due to its legalisation in several countries, while more potent varieties are available for recreational users.
Researchers from Lancaster and Lisbon Universities studied the effects of the cannabinoid drug WIN 55,212-2 in mice and found that:
· Long-term exposure impairs learning and memory in the animals
· Brain imaging studies showed that the drug impairs function in key brain regions involved in learning and memory
· Long-term exposure to the drug impairs the ability of brain regions involved in learning and memory to communicate with each other, suggesting that this underlies the negative effects of the drug on memory
Dr Neil Dawson, the lead researcher from Lancaster University said "This work offers valuable new insight into the way in which long-term cannabinoid exposure negatively impacts on the brain. Understanding these mechanisms is central to understanding how long-term cannabinoid exposure increases the risk of developing mental health issues and memory problems."
He also highlighted the relevance of the work to those using cannabinoid-based therapies to treat medical conditions.
"Cannabis-based therapies can be very effective at treating the symptoms of chronic diseases such as epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, and dramatically increase the quality of life for people living with these conditions. We need to understand the side effects that these people may experience so that we can develop new interventions to minimise these side effects."
Professor Ana Sebastiao, lead researcher at the University of Lisbon, said: "Importantly, our work clearly shows that prolonged cannabinoid intake, when not used for medical reasons, does have a negative impact in brain function and memory. It is important to understand that the same medicine may re-establish an equilibrium under certain diseased conditions, such as in epilepsy or MS, but could cause marked imbalances in healthy individuals. "As for all medicines, cannabinoid based therapies have not only beneficial disease-related actions, but also negative side effects. It is for the medical doctor to weight the advantages of the therapy, taking into consideration quality of life and diseases progression, against the potential side effects."
The research was published in the Journal of Neurochemistry and was conducted as part of the European Commission Horizon 2020 funded SynaNET project.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180723132251.htm
Products of omega-3 fatty acid metabolism may have anticancer effects
July 13, 2018
Science Daily/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
A class of molecules formed when the body metabolizes omega-3 fatty acids could inhibit cancer's growth and spread, University of Illinois researchers report in a new study in mice. The molecules, called endocannabinoids, are made naturally by the body and have similar properties to cannabinoids found in marijuana -- but without the psychotropic effects.
In mice with tumors of osteosarcoma -- a bone cancer that is notoriously painful and difficult to treat -- endocannabinoids slowed the growth of tumors and blood vessels, inhibited the cancer cells from migrating and caused cancer cell death. The results were published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.
"We have a built-in endocannabinoid system which is anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing. Now we see it is also anti-cancer, stopping the cells from proliferating or migrating," said study leader Aditi Das, a professor of comparative biosciences and an affiliate of biochemistry at Illinois. "These molecules could address multiple problems: cancer, inflammation and pain."
In 2017, the Illinois team identified a new group of omega-3 fatty-acid metabolites called endocannabinoid epoxides, or EDP-EAs. They found that these molecules had anti-inflammatory properties and targeted the same receptor in the body that cannabis does.
Since cannabis has been shown to have some anti-cancer properties, in the new study the researchers investigated whether EDP-EAs also affect cancer cells. They found that in mice with osteosarcoma tumors that metastasized to their lungs, there was an 80 percent increase in naturally occurring EDP-EAs in cancerous lung tissues over the lungs of healthy mice.
"The dramatic increase indicated that these molecules were doing something to the cancer -- but we didn't know if it was harmful or good," Das said. "We asked, are they trying to stop the cancer, or facilitating it? So we studied the individual properties and saw that they are working against the cancer in several ways."
The researchers found that in higher concentrations, EDP-EAs did kill cancer cells, but not as effectively as other chemotherapeutic drugs on the market. However, the compounds also combated the osteosarcoma in other ways: They slowed tumor growth by inhibiting new blood vessels from forming to supply the tumor with nutrients, they prevented interactions between the cells, and most significantly, they appeared to stop cancerous cells from migrating.
"The major cause of death from cancer is driven by the spread of tumor cells, which requires migration of cells," said study coauthor Timothy Fan, a professor of veterinary clinical medicine and veterinary oncology. "As such, therapies that have the potential to impede cell migration also could be useful for slowing down or inhibiting metastases."
The researchers isolated the most potent of the molecules and are working to develop derivatives that bind better to the cannabinoid receptor, which is plentiful on the surface on cancer cells.
"Dietary consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can lead to the formation of these substances in the body and may have some beneficial effects. However, if you have cancer, you want something concentrated and fast acting," Das said. "That's where the endocannabinoid epoxide derivatives come into play -- you could make a concentrated dose of the exact compound that's most effective against the cancer. You could also mix this with other drugs such as chemotherapies."
Next, the researchers plan to perform preclinical studies in dogs, since dogs develop osteosarcoma spontaneously, similarly to humans. They also plan to study the effects of EDP-EAs derived from omega-3 fatty acids in other cancer types.
"Particular cancers that might be most interesting to study would be solid tumors or carcinomas, which tend to spread and cause pain within the skeleton. Some of the most common tumors that behave this way are breast, prostate, and lung carcinomas, and we can certainly explore these tumors in the future," said Fan, who is also a member of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, the Cancer Center at Illinois and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180713220137.htm
Scientists identify connection between dopamine and behavior related to pain and fear
New research illuminates crucial links between avoidance behavior and key brain chemicals
April 19, 2018
Science Daily/University of Maryland School of Medicine
Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have for the first time found direct causal links between the neurotransmitter dopamine and avoidance -- behavior related to pain and fear.
Researchers have long known that dopamine plays a key role in driving behavior related to pleasurable goals, such as food, sex and social interaction. In general, increasing dopamine boosts the drive toward these stimuli. But dopamine's role in allowing organisms to avoid negative events has remained mysterious.
The new study establishes for the first time that dopamine is central in causing behavior related to the avoidance of specific threats. The work was published today in the journal Current Biology.
"This study really advances what we know about how dopamine affects aversively motivated behaviors," said Joseph F. Cheer PhD, a professor in the UMSOM Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology and the study's corresponding author. "In the past, we thought of dopamine as a neurotransmitter involved in actions associated with the pursuit of rewards. With this new information we can delve into how dopamine affects so many more kinds of motivated behavior."
To better understand the role that dopamine plays in this process, Dr. Cheer and his colleagues, including principal author Jennifer Wenzel, PhD, a fellow in Dr. Cheer's laboratory, studied rats, focusing on a particular brain area, the nucleus accumbens. This brain region plays a crucial role in linking the need or desire for a given reward -- food, sex, etc. -- with the motor response to actually obtain that reward.
To study the animals under natural conditions, they used optogenetics, a relatively new technique in which specific groups of neurons can be controlled by exposure to light. In this case, Dr. Cheer's group used a blue laser to stimulate genetically modified rats whose dopamine neurons could be controlled to send out more or less dopamine. In this way, they were able to see how dopamine levels affected the animals' behavior. The principal advantage of this approach: he could control dopamine levels even as the animals moved freely in their environment.
The researchers subjected the animals to small electric shocks, but also taught the animals how to escape the shocks by pressing a small lever. Using optogenetics, they controlled the amount of dopamine released by neurons in the nucleus accumbens. Animals with high levels of dopamine in this brain region learned to avoid a shock more quickly and more often than animals that had a lower level of dopamine in this region.
Dr. Cheer says that this indicates that dopamine causally drives animals to avoid unpleasant or painful situations and stimuli. The results greatly expand the role that dopamine plays in driving behavior.
The researchers also examined the role that endocannabinoids play in this process. Endocannabinoids, brain chemicals that resemble the active ingredients in marijuana, play key roles in many brain processes. Here, Dr. Cheer and his colleagues found that endocannabinoids essentially open the gate that allows the dopamine neurons to fire. When the researchers reduced the level of endocannabinoids, the animals were much less likely to move to avoid shocks.
Dr. Cheer argues that the research sheds light on brain disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. In depression, patients feel unable to avoid a sense of helplessness in the face of problems, and tend to ruminate rather than act to improve their situation. In PTSD, patients are unable to avoid an overwhelming sense of fear and anxiety in the face of seemingly low-stress situations. Both disorders, he says, may involve abnormally low levels of dopamine, and may be seen on some level as a failure of the avoidance system.
In both depression and PTSD, doctors already sometimes treat patients with medicine to increase dopamine and there are now clinical trials testing use of endocannabinoid drugs to treat these conditions. Dr. Cheer suggests that this approach may need to be used more often, and should certainly be studied in more detail.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180419131108.htm
Medical cannabis significantly safer for elderly with chronic pain than Opioids
February 13, 2018
Science Daily/American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
A new study found cannabis therapy is safe and efficacious for elderly patients who are seeking to address cancer symptoms, Parkinson's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, and other medical issues. After six months, more than 18 percent of patients surveyed had stopped using opioid analgesics or had reduced their dosage.
Medical cannabis therapy can significantly reduce chronic pain in patients age 65 and older without adverse effects, according to researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and the Cannabis Clinical Research Institute at Soroka University Medical Center.
The new study, published in The European Journal of Internal Medicine, found cannabis therapy is safe and efficacious for elderly patients who are seeking to address cancer symptoms, Parkinson's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, and other medical issues.
"While older patients represent a large and growing population of medical cannabis users, few studies have addressed how it affects this particular group, which also suffers from dementia, frequent falls, mobility problems, and hearing and visual impairments," says Prof. Victor Novack, M.D., a professor of medicine in the BGU Faculty of Health Sciences (FOHS), and head of the Soroka Cannabis Clinical Research Institute. Novack is also the BGU Gussie Krupp Chair in Internal Medicine.
"After monitoring patients 65 and older for six months, we found medical cannabis treatment significantly relieves pain and improves quality of life for seniors with minimal side effects reported."
This older population represents a growing segment of medical cannabis users, ranging from approximately seven percent to more than 33 percent, depending on the country. Recent U.S. polls indicate Americans over 65 represent 14 percent of the total population and use more than 30 percent of all prescription drugs, including highly addictive painkillers.
BGU researchers surveyed 2,736 patients 65 years and older who received medical cannabis through "Tikun Olam," the largest Israeli medical cannabis supplier. More than 60 percent were prescribed medical cannabis due to the pain, particularly pain associated with cancer. After six months of treatment, more than 93 percent of 901 respondents reported their pain dropped from a median of eight to four on a 10-point scale. Close to 60 percent of patients who originally reported "bad" or "very bad" quality of life upgraded to "good" or "very good" after six months. More than 70 percent of patients surveyed reported moderate to significant improvement in their condition.
The most commonly reported adverse effects were dizziness (9.7 percent) and dry mouth (7.1 percent). After six months, more than 18 percent of patients surveyed had stopped using opioid analgesics or had reduced their dosage.
All patients received a prescription after consulting with a doctor who prescribed treatment. More than 33 percent of patients used cannabis-infused oil; approximately 24 percent inhaled therapy by smoking, and approximately six percent used vaporization.
While the researchers state their findings to date indicate cannabis may decrease dependence on prescription medicines, including opioids, more evidence-based data from this special, aging population is imperative.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180213111508.htm