{"id":37551,"date":"2019-10-14T17:10:40","date_gmt":"2019-10-14T21:10:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sciencebusiness.technewslit.com\/?p=37551"},"modified":"2019-10-14T17:14:48","modified_gmt":"2019-10-14T21:14:48","slug":"trial-to-test-cbd-for-parkinsons-related-psychosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/technewslit.com\/sciencebusiness\/?p=37551","title":{"rendered":"Trial to Test CBD for Parkinson’s-Related Psychosis"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cannabis<\/a>
Cannabis plant (Michael Fischer, Pexels.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

14 Oct. 2019. A clinical trial is planned to test cannabidiol, or CBD, derived from cannabis as a treatment for hallucinations and delusions among people with Parkinson’s disease. The trial will be conducted by the charitable and advocacy group Parkinson\u2019s UK<\/a> with researchers at Kings College London.<\/p>\n

Parkinson\u2019s disease<\/a> occurs when the brain produces less of the substance dopamine, a neurotransmitter that sends signals from one neuron or nerve cell to another. As the level of dopamine lowers, people with Parkinson\u2019s disease become less able to control their bodily movements and emotions. Symptoms include tremors, i.e. shaking, slowness and rigidity in movements, loss of facial expression, decreased ability to control blinking and swallowing, and in some cases, depression, or psychosis. According to the Parkinson\u2019s Disease Foundation<\/a>, more than 10 million people worldwide are living with the disease.<\/p>\n

Parkinson\u2019s UK says some 145,000 people in the U.K. are living with Parkinson’s disease, and half or more experience symptoms of psychosis, such as hallucinations or delusions. The group says no treatment is currently approved in the U.K. for this condition, thus the interest in cannabidiol. While derived from cannabis, cannabidiol<\/a> does not produce an emotional high associated with marijuana, and is missing tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana causing intoxication.<\/p>\n

Authorities in the U.S.<\/a> and Europe<\/a> approved treatments for some forms of childhood epilepsy containing cannabidiol, for its ability to reduces hyperactivity of neurons by limiting chemical stimuli and signals associated with seizures. Sagnik Bhattacharyya<\/a>, a professor of neuroscience and psychiatry at Kings College London studies cannabidiol’s potential as a treatment for psychosis, including clinical trials<\/a>. Parkinson’s UK asked Bhattacharyya and Kings College colleague Latha Velayudhan<\/a> to lead the trial<\/a> in patients with Parkinson’s disease.<\/p>\n

The clinical trial has two parts. The first part is a small-scale test seeking to find an optimum dose of cannabidiol, up to 1,000 milligrams, expected to take six weeks. The main part of the study is recruiting 120 individuals with Parkinson’s disease and also experiencing psychosis. This 12-week study will test effects of cannabidiol, with participants randomly assigned to received cannabidiol or a placebo.<\/p>\n

Earlier in 2019, Parkinson’s UK conducted a survey<\/a> of people with Parkinson’s disease and health care professionals on their attitudes toward potential cannabis-related treatments. About a quarter of respondents with Parkinson’s disease (26%) say they currently or previously used cannabis-related treatments, and another six in 10 (59%) say they have not used cannabis-derived treatments, but would consider using them for their symptoms if available. Large majorities of professionals surveyed say patients ask about cannabis-related treatments, but are reluctant to advise patients because of the lack of solid evidence on their effectiveness.<\/p>\n

“There are many unanswered questions about the value of CBD for people with Parkinson\u2019s,” says Arthur Roach<\/a>, director of research at Parkinson’s UK in an organization statement<\/a>, “but this trial will help us to determine whether it can help with the debilitating symptoms of hallucinations and delusions. If successful, this trial could result in people with Parkinson\u2019s being able to access a regulated medicine, rather than reverting to expensive unregulated supplements that haven\u2019t been monitored for their effectiveness.”<\/p>\n

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