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Marijuana for neurological dissorders?

Discussion in 'Medical Marijuana Usage and Applications' started by a526003b, Oct 2, 2010.

  1. #1 a526003b, Oct 2, 2010
    I am a Biomedical Laboratory Science senior at a anonymous state university in Michigan and I am currently trying to develop a research protocol for my research class.

    After some thinking while trying to brainstorm I thought about how marijuana stabilizes the amounts of neurotransmitter that is released at the synapse. Then I thought about other neurological disorders such as let's say... epilepsy...

    In epileptics seizures are caused by the release of too much dopamine (neurotransmitter) in the synapse. Now my question is leaning to whether or not systematically using marijuana would reduce the frequencies or stop the excessive release of neurotransmitter in epileptics that cause their seizures.

    Other disorders that involve either too little or too much neurotransmitter being released such as types of treatment resistant depression, could and/or should according to my simple theory be considered a treatable condition by marijuana.

    I have seen very few true "good" research publications on such topics. Considering that the causes of many neurological disorders are still unknown or not well understood and since many individuals can now legally use marijuana here has led me to believe that there is an opportunity to ethically perform respectable research in this area.

    Any educated opinions or comments are welcomed and If I left anything out of my brief post let me know!
     
  2. #2 CaliGrower, Oct 2, 2010
    You won't find many studies on the topic because research studies are generally not funded for a substance that big pharma can't patent and profit from. Hence ROI is nil on a financial basis.

    You will find many epileptics and other neurological patients swear by the benefits that marijuana brings but that is considered non scientific.
     
  3. #3 tharedhead, Oct 2, 2010
    From Granny Storm Crow's most excellent list:

    EPILEPSY

    Marijuana and Epilepsy (anecdotal- no date)
    Marihuana and Epilepsy by Tim and Pattie Shellman

    Anti-epileptic Action of Marijuana-Active Substances (full - 1949)
    http://www.mikuriya.com/s3_6.pdf

    Anticonvulsant nature of marihuana smoking. (abst - 1975)
    Clinical Studies and Case Reports

    Cannabidiol--antiepileptic drug comparisons and interactions in experimentally induced seizures in rats. (full - 1977)
    Cannabidiol--antiepileptic drug comparisons and interactions in experimentally induced seizures in rats.

    Chronic administration of cannabidiol to healthy volunteers and epileptic patients.
    (abst - 1980)
    Clinical Studies and Case Reports

    Antiepileptic potential of cannabidiol analogs. (abst - 1981)
    Antiepileptic potential of cannabidiol analogs. [J Clin Pharmacol. 1981 Aug-Sep] - PubMed result

    The cannabinoids as potential antiepileptics. (abst - 1981)
    The cannabinoids as potential antiepileptics. [J Clin Pharmacol. 1981 Aug-Sep] - PubMed result

    Hypnotic and Antiepileptic Effects of Cannabidiol (abst - 1981)
    Hypnotic and antiepileptic effects of cannabidiol. [J Clin Pharmacol. 1981 Aug-Sep] - PubMed result

    Anticonvulsant effects of the (-) and (+)isomers of cannabidiol and their dimethylheptyl homologs. (abst - 1982)
    Anticonvulsant effects of the (-) and (+)isomers o... [Pharmacology. 1982] - PubMed result

    Effects of cannabidiol on behavioral seizures caused by convulsant drugs or current in mice. (abst - 1982)
    Effects of cannabidiol on behavioral seizures caus... [Eur J Pharmacol. 1982] - PubMed result

    Marijuana use and the risk of new onset seizures. (full - 1992)
    Marijuana use and the risk of new onset seizures.

    Treatment with CBD in oily solution of drug-resistant paediatric epilepsies.
    (full - 2001)
    Clinical Studies and Case Reports

    Therapeutic Aspects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids (full - 2001)
    http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/reprint/178/2/107.pdf

    The Endogenous Cannabinoid System Regulates Seizure Frequency and Duration in a Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (full - 2003)
    The Endogenous Cannabinoid System Regulates Seizure Frequency and Duration in a Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

    Experiences with THC-treatment in children and adolescents (abst - 2003)
    Clinical Studies and Case Reports

    Cannabis may help epileptics (news - 2003)
    Cannabis may help epileptics

    Marijuana Use More Prevalent With Epilepsy (needs free registration)
    (news - 2003)
    http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/465891

    Endocannabinoids and Their Implications for Epilepsy (full - 2004)
    Endocannabinoids and Their Implications for Epilepsy

    Cannabinoids: Defending the Epileptic Brain (full - 2004)
    Cannabinoids: Defending the Epileptic Brain

    Marijuana use and epilepsy - Prevalence in patients of a tertiary care epilepsy center (abst - 2004)
    Marijuana use and epilepsy: Prevalence in patients of a tertiary care epilepsy center -- Gross et al. 62 (11): 2095 -- Neurology

    Epilepsy patients are smoking pot (news - 2004)
    ASA : Medical marijuana

    Anandamide Induced Anti-Convulsion in an In Vitro Model of Epilepsy
    (abst - 2005)
    http://www.kau.edu.sa/centers/spc/jk...ed/12/Mada.pdf

    Forebrain-Specific Inactivation of Gq/G11 Family G Proteins Results in Age-Dependent Epilepsy and Impaired Endocannabinoid Formation (full - 2006)
    Forebrain-Specific Inactivation of Gq/G11 Family G Proteins Results in Age-Dependent Epilepsy and Impaired Endocannabinoid Formation -- Wettschureck et al. 26 (15): 5888 -- Molecular and Cellular Biology

    Not Too Excited? Thank Your Endocannabinoids (full - 2006)
    ScienceDirect - Neuron : Not Too Excited? Thank Your Endocannabinoids

    The Endocannabinoid System Controls Key Epileptogenic Circuits in the Hippocampus (full - 2006)
    The Endocannabinoid System Controls Key Epileptogenic Circuits in the Hippocampus

    Activation of the Cannabinoid Type-1 Receptor Mediates the Anticonvulsant Properties of Cannabinoids in the Hippocampal Neuronal Culture Models of Acquired Epilepsy and Status Epilepticus (full - 2006)
    Activation of the Cannabinoid Type-1 Receptor Mediates the Anticonvulsant Properties of Cannabinoids in the Hippocampal Neuronal Culture Models of Acquired Epilepsy and Status Epilepticus

    Cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonists cause status epilepticus-like activity in the hippocampal neuronal culture model of acquired epilepsy (full - 2006)
    Cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonists cause status epilepticus-like activity in the hippocampal neuronal culture model of acquired epilepsy

    Brain's Cannabinoid System 'Mellows' Seizures (news - 2006)
    Brain's Cannabinoid System 'Mellows' Seizures

    Downregulation of the CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor and Related Molecular Elements of the Endocannabinoid System in Epileptic Human Hippocampus
    (full - 2007)
    Downregulation of the CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor and Related Molecular Elements of the Endocannabinoid System in Epileptic Human Hippocampus -- Ludányi et al. 28 (12): 2976 -- Journal of Neuroscience

    Endocannabinoids block status epilepticus in cultured hippocampal neurons
    (full - 2007)
    Endocannabinoids block status epilepticus in cultured hippocampal neurons

    Development of pharmacoresistance to benzodiazepines but not cannabinoids in the hippocampal neuronal culture model of status epilepticus (full - 2007)
    Development of pharmacoresistance to benzodiazepines but not cannabinoids in the hippocampal neuronal culture model of status epilepticus

    Marijuana: an effective antiepileptic treatment in partial epilepsy? (abst - 2007)
    Clinical Studies and Case Reports

    Cannabidiol Displays Antiepileptiform and Antiseizure Properties In Vitro and In Vivo (abst - 2010)
    Cannabidiol Displays Antiepileptiform and Antiseizure Properties In Vitro and In Vivo

    Delta-Tetrahydrocannabivarin suppresses in vitro epileptiform and in vivo seizure activity in adult rats. (abst - 2010)
    Delta-Tetrahydrocannabivarin suppresses in vitro e... [Epilepsia. 2010] - PubMed result
    __________________
     
  4. #4 tharedhead, Oct 2, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 2, 2010
    And, for additional thought...

    Gene therapy to treat epilepsy a step closer
    Neuropeptide Y and Epilepsy


    ScienceDirect - Neuropharmacology : Cannabinoids augment the release of neuropeptide Y in the rat hypothalamus

     
  5. #5 Storm Crow, Oct 2, 2010
    Hi hon, and thank you for your research! We REALLY NEED more like you!

    Since you already have what I have in my list (thanks, Red), all I got is an anecdotal story that helped start my list.

    WAAAAAYYY back in the late 1960s, I met a young epileptic musician named Joey. He had petite mal epilepsy and took various medications (dilantin and "reds") to prevent his seizures. He discovered that he could cut his medications in half and still remain seizure free when he had cannabis (usually Mexican Brick weed, and occasionally Columbian - it really bugs me that research normally does not supply any info on the strains used and the chemical profiles can be so different between strains! :mad: ) I believe the only times I saw him have any seizures was during the "summer drought" that hits just before harvest, so it worked.

    Between Joey's use, my own relief of migraines, and a brief book reference about making a tequilla/ cannabis rub for arthritis, my curiousity about medical use was born. Then I ran into "Dr. Todd's List" which gave me the final push to start my own list of medical studies. I hope my list will inspire you! :D



    Granny :wave:
     
  6. #6 tharedhead, Oct 3, 2010
  7. #7 Gerhardt, Oct 4, 2010
    As someone with neurological damage myself i can tell you that you will definately find good results with your study. I get pins and needles and sharp pain all through the left side of my body. My muscles twitch too. Sometimes my eye lids twitch so much i can see out of my eyes for a few seconds. After ripping a dank bowl the twitches go away and the edge is taken of the pains.
     
  8. #8 since93, Oct 4, 2010
    Hi there...you posted in february and i am curious to know what happened with your research....what are the developments, any results yet?
     
  9. #9 a526003b, Oct 4, 2010
    It is going to take some time for me to finish the protocol... Planning and designing research that will be "good" enough to obtain a grant from my university takes time... There is a lot of things that I have to figure out first and put into words... like whether I want to do a case control or a prospective cohort study (I think a cohort would be the most affective in this case)... How I'm going to control the many bias's that would be present... How I would select a sample population and then furthermore my test subjects and control subjects... There is an overwhelming amount of shit I need to put on paper and get evaluated before anything "real" is going to take place... then when it does I will have to follow these people for 6months to a year.... so it's nothing that's going down next week or anything, it's still in development and who knows... the university might end up stiffing me based on the topic too so allot can happen. But it is moving in the right direction despite how busy I have been recently.

    I have a lot of stuff typed up so far in my protocol and was thinking about uploading it for you guys to read if you would be interested to see what I have drawn up so far.

    I am glad to see that other people out there share an interest in this subject!
     
  10. #10 a526003b, Oct 4, 2010
    Just had a thought... Rather than applying for a research grant from my university... don't organizations like NORML fund publishable cannabis research?
     
  11. #11 since93, Oct 5, 2010
    maybe not the whole scientific jargon having text but like understandable highlights?
     
  12. #12 since93, Oct 5, 2010
    idk...check their site a bit maybe....
     
  13. #13 Frank Lucas, Oct 5, 2010
    hey there. im an epilleptic MMJ patient out here in california and i believe marijuana does calm my overactive synapses in my left temporal lobe. but if you want to give me say a pound of dank ill gladly participate in a study. ct scans, eegs, the whole 9 yards
     
  14. #14 tharedhead, Oct 5, 2010
    Don't forget that, if M74 passes in Oregon, a certain amount of money that the state gets from licensing growers and dispensaries will go to medical research. So there should be some research funds floating around out there soon...I hope.
     
  15. #15 MMAmark, Oct 5, 2010

    I will back up what Gerhardt said here! I am a sufferer of CRPS. One of THE MOST painful and debilitating diseases known to man! I am one TONS of pain meds from my Doc and am weening myself of with the aid of MJ. It truly is a life saver for people like me with SEVERE neurological pain! Thank you for wanting to do more research! We need you!

    :hello:
     
  16. #16 since93, Oct 5, 2010
    plus rep :smoke:
     

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