Role of the Endocannabinoid System in the Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia: Implications for Pharmacological Intervention F.M. Leweke, J.K. Mueller, B.Lange, S. Fritze, C.E. Topor, D. Koethe, C. Rohleder CNS Drugs, 2018 Jul;32(7):605-619. doi: 10.1007/s40263-018-0539-z. Abstract The term schizophrenia describes a group of multifaceted psychiatric conditions causing significant impairment of the quality of life of affected patients. Although multiple pharmacological treatment options exist, e.g. first- or second-generation antipsychotics, these therapeutics often cause disturbing side effects, such as extrapyramidal symptoms, prolactin increase, sexual dysfunction and/or metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, cognitive impairments and negative symptoms, two factors significantly influencing the course and outcome, are not sufficiently addressed by the available [...]
Lire la suitePriority Considerations for Medicinal Cannabis-Related Research Marcel O. Bonn-Miller, Charles V. Pollack, Jr., David Casarett, Richard Dart, Mahmoud ElSohly, Larry Good, Manuel Guzman, Lumır Hanus, Kevin P. Hill, Marilyn A. Huestis, Eric Marsh, Susan Sisley, Nancy Skinner, Judith Spahr, Ryan Vandrey, Eugene Viscusi, Mark A. Ware, and Donald Abrams Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2019, Volume 4, Number 3, 1-19. DOI: 10.1089/can.2019.0045 Keywords : medicinal cannabis; medical marijuana Introduction and Rationale The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s 2017 publication The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research provided a significant contribution by synthesizing the existing evidence base [...]
Lire la suiteEndocannabinoid signaling in psychiatric disorders: a review of positron emission tomography studies Matthew E. Sloan, Caroline W. Grant, Joshua L. Gowin, Vijay A. Ramchandani and Bernard Le Foll Acta Pharmacologica Sinica, 2018, 0, 1–9; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41401-018-0081-z Endocannabinoid signaling is implicated in an array of psychopathologies ranging from anxiety to psychosis and addiction. In recent years, radiotracers targeting the endocannabinoid system have been used in positron emission tomography (PET) studies to determine whether individuals with psychiatric disorders display altered endocannabinoid signaling. We comprehensively reviewed PET studies examining differences in endocannabinoid signaling between individuals with psychiatric illness and healthy controls. Published studies evaluated individuals with five psychiatric [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin-Induced Deficits in Automatic and Controlled Inhibition are Attenuated by Ketanserin in Healthy Human Volunteers Boris B Quednow, Michael Kometer, Mark A Geyer and Franz X Vollenweider Neuropsychopharmacology, 2012, 37, 630–640 doi:10.1038/npp.2011.228 The serotonin-2A receptor (5-HT2AR) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and related inhibitory gating and behavioral inhibition deficits of schizophrenia patients. The hallucinogen psilocybin disrupts automatic forms of sensorimotor gating and response inhibition in humans, but it is unclear so far whether the 5-HT2AR or 5-HT1AR agonist properties of its bioactive metabolite psilocin account for these effects. Thus, we investigated whether psilocybin-induced deficits in automatic and controlled inhibition in healthy [...]
Lire la suiteThe Potential of Cannabidiol as a Treatment for Psychosis and Addiction : Who Benefits Most ? A Systematic Review Albert Batalla, Hella Janssen, Shiral S. Gangadin and Matthijs G. Bossong Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2019, 8, 1058 doi : 10.3390/jcm8071058 Abstract : The endogenous cannabinoid (eCB) system plays an important role in the pathophysiology of both psychotic disorders and substance use disorders (SUDs). The non-psychoactive cannabinoid compound, cannabidiol (CBD) is a highly promising tool in the treatment of both disorders. Here we review human clinical studies that investigated the ecacy of CBD treatment for schizophrenia, substance use disorders, and their comorbidity. In particular, we examined [...]
Lire la suiteLysergic Acid Diethylamide and Psilocybin Revisited Mark A. Geyer Biological Psychiatry, 2015, Volume 78, Issue 8, 544-553 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.08.003 The past decade brought the beginnings of a renaissance in research on psychedelic drugs. Two articles in this issue of Biological Psychiatry signify that the resurrection of this long ignored topic has begun to mature and bear at least the promise of fruit. In the early 1970s, the onset of the “War on Drugs” brought with it a near-total hiatus in serious research on psychedelic drugs, especially in the United States. The resumption of credible work in this area has come from Switzerland, where many of [...]
Lire la suitePsychopathology and Psychophysiology of Minimal LSD-25 Dosage. A Preliminary Dosage-Response Spectrum Theodore GREINER, Neil R. BURCH, Robert EDELBERG AMA, Archives of Neurology & Psychiatry, 1958, 79, (2), 208-210. doi:10.1001/archneurpsyc.1958.02340020088016 Abstract Despite 14 years of investigation, as intensive as accorded any biologically active chemical, a gap remains in the systematic description of human response to lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD-25). The dramatic schizophrenic-like symptoms after doses of 40 μg to 100 μg have drawn the main interest. The threshold for activity is placed at 20 μg by general consensus, while perfunctory administration of smaller doses has left their effect uncertain. Accompanying those pharmacologic demonstrations has been [...]
Lire la suiteLysergic acid diethylamide : a drug of ‘use’ ? Saibal Das, Preeti Barnwal, Anand Ramasamy, Sumalya Sen and Somnath Mondal Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 2016, Vol. 6, (3), 214–228 DOI: 10.1177/2045125316640440 Abstract : Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), described as a classical hallucinogen, began its journey from the middle of the last century following an accidental discovery. Since then, it was used as a popular and notorious substance of abuse in various parts of the world. Its beneficial role as an adjunct to psychotherapy was much unknown, until some ‘benevolent’ experiments were carried out over time to explore some of its potential uses. But, many [...]
Lire la suiteCannabidiol (CBD) as an Adjunctive Therapy in Schizophrenia : A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial Philip McGuire, F.R.C.Psych., F.Med.Sci., Philip Robson, M.R.C.P., F.R.C.Psych., Wieslaw Jerzy Cubala, M.D., Ph.D., Daniel Vasile, M.D., Ph.D., Paul Dugald Morrison, Ph.D., M.R.C.Psych., Rachel Barron, B.Vet.Med., M.R.C.V.S., Adam Taylor, Ph.D., Stephen Wright, F.R.C.P.(Edin), F.F.P.M. American Journal of Psychiatry, 2018, 175, 225–231. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17030325 Objective : Research in both animals and humans indicates that cannabidiol (CBD) has antipsychotic properties. The authors assessed the safety and effectiveness of CBD in patients with schizophrenia. Method : In an exploratory double-blind parallel-group trial, patients with schizophrenia were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive CBD (1000 [...]
Lire la suiteCannabidiol as a Potential New Type of an Antipsychotic. A Critical Review of the Evidence Cathrin Rohleder, Juliane K. Müller, Bettina Lange and F. M. Leweke Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2016, Volume 7, Article 422. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2016.00422 There is urgent need for the development of mechanistically different and less side-effect prone antipsychotic compounds. The endocannabinoid system has been suggested to represent a potential new target in this indication. While the chronic use of cannabis itself has been considered a risk factor contributing to the development of schizophrenia, triggered by the phytocannabinoid delta-9-tetra-hydro-cannabinol (19-THC), cannabidiol, the second most important phytocannabinoid, appears to have no psychotomimetic potential. [...]
Lire la suite