Cannabidiol enhances anandamide signaling and alleviates psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia.

Authors: F. M. Leweke, D. Piomelli, F. Pahlisch, D. Muhl, C. W. Gerth, C. Hoyer, J. Klosterkötter, et al
Translational Psychiatry, 20 March 2012

Cannabidiol is a component of marijuana that does not activate cannabinoid receptors, but moderately inhibits the degradation of the endocannabinoid anandamide. We previously reported that an elevation of anandamide levels in cerebrospinal fluid inversely correlated to psychot…

Effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol administration on human encoding and recall memory function: a pharmacological FMRI study.

Authors: Matthijs G. Bossong, Gerry Jager, Hendrika H. van Hell, Lineke Zuurman, et al
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, March 2012

Deficits in memory function are an incapacitating aspect of various psychiatric and neurological disorders. Animal studies have recently provided strong evidence for involvement of the endocannabinoid (eCB) system in memory function. Neuropsychological studies in humans have s…

Decreased prevalence of diabetes in marijuana users: cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III.

Authors: Tripathi B. Rajavashisth, Magda Shaheen, Keith C. Norris, Deyu Pan, et al
BMJ Open, 24 February 2012

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and marijuana use. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988-1994) conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of th…

Birth outcomes associated with cannabis use before and during pregnancy.

Authors: Mohammad R. Hayatbakhsh, Vicki J. Flenady, Kristen S. Gibbons, Ann M. Kingsbury, et al
Pediatric Research, February 2012

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to examine the association between cannabis use before and during pregnancy and birth outcomes. RESULTS: Overall, 26.3% of women reported previous use of cannabis and 2.6% reported current use. Multivariate analysis, controlling for potential con…

School achievement in 14-year-old youths prenatally exposed to marijuana.

Authors: Lidush Goldschmidt, Gale A. Richardson, Jennifer A. Willford, Stevan G. Severtson, Nancy L. Day
Neurotoxicology and Teratology, January-February 2012

The relation between prenatal marijuana exposure (PME) and school achievement was evaluated in a sample of 524 14-year-olds. Women were recruited during pregnancy and assessed, along with their offspring, at multiple phases from infancy to early adulthood. The sample represent…

Prescribing cannabis for harm reduction.

Authors: Mark Collen
Harm Reduction Journal, 1 January 2012

Neuropathic pain affects between 5% and 10% of the US population and can be refractory to treatment. Opioids may be recommended as a second-line pharmacotherapy but have risks including overdose and death. Cannabis has been shown to be effective for treating nerve pain without…

The role of cannabinoids in prostate cancer: Basic science perspective and potential clinical applications.

Authors: Juan A. Ramos, Fernando J. Bianco
Indian Journal of Urology, January 2012

Prostate cancer is a global public health problem, and it is the most common cancer in American men and the second cause for cancer-related death. Experimental evidence shows that prostate tissue possesses cannabinoid receptors and their stimulation results in anti-androgenic…

Potential protective effects of cannabidiol on neuroanatomical alterations in cannabis users and psychosis: a critical review.

Authors: Derik Hermann , Miriam Schneider
Current Pharmaceutical Design, 2012

Cannabis use and the development of schizophrenic psychoses share a variety of similarities. Both start during late adolescence; go along with neuropsychological deficits, reduced activity, motivation deficits, and hallucinations suggesting impairment of similar brain structur…

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome.

Authors: Jonathan A. Galli, Ronald Andari Sawaya, Frank K. Friedenberg
Current Drug Abuse Reviews, December 2011

Coinciding with the increasing rates of cannabis abuse has been the recognition of a new clinical condition known as Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome. Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome is characterized by chronic cannabis use, cyclic episodes of nausea and vomiting, and frequen…

Cannabinoid-opioid interaction in chronic pain.

Authors: D. I. Abrams, P. Couey, S. B. Shade, M. E. Kelly, N. L. Benowitz
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, December 2011

Cannabinoids and opioids share several pharmacologic properties and may act synergistically. The potential pharmacokinetics and the safety of the combination in humans are unknown. We therefore undertook a study to answer these questions. Twenty-one individuals with chronic pa…

Cannabidiol prevents the development of cold and mechanical allodynia in paclitaxel-treated female C57Bl6 mice.

Authors: Sara Ward, Michael Ramirez, Harshini Neelakantan, Ellen Walker
Anesthesia and Analgesia, October 2011

The taxane chemotherapeutic paclitaxel frequently produces peripheral neuropathy in humans. Rodent models to investigate mechanisms and treatments are largely restricted to male rats, whereas female mouse studies are lacking. We characterized a range of paclitaxel doses on col…

Cannabis use amongst patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Authors: Simon Lal, Neeraj Prasad, Manijeh Ryan, Sabrena Tangri, Mark Silverberg, et al
European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, October 2011

BACKGROUND: Experimental evidence suggests the endogenous cannabinoid system may protect against colonic inflammation, leading to the possibility that activation of this system may have a therapeutic role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Medicinal use of cannabis for chron…