New research from Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University has found that synthetic THC can significantly reduce agitation symptoms in people who suffer from Alzheimer’s.
Results from an eight-year trial on the FDA-approved drug “dronabinol” were presented at the International Psychogeriatric Association conference in Argentina last week. This research was completed in partnership with the prestigious Tufts University School of Medicine in Massachusetts.
Investigators determined that the oral tablet was capable of reducing nasty behavioural symptoms of agitation symptoms such as restlessness, aggression and emotional distress by 30 per cent.
For their analysis, they examined 75 patients suffering from the mental health condition at five clinical sites. The synthetic cannabinoid drug they used has also been used to treat people plagued by HIV/AIDS and cancer, primarily to improve their appetite.
“Dronabinol has the potential to both reduce health care costs and make an important, positive impact on caregivers’ mental and physical health,” Brent Forester, one of the principal researchers, said in a statement.
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Johns Hopkins is well-versed with cannabis studies
One of the other most recent research endeavours conducted by the institution in April found that an essential oil extracted from cannabis and citrus was significantly impactful for reducing anxiety. That is, “d-limonene.”
It had shown promising results in rodent studies prior to an investigation with a small cohort of participants completed by the university. Only a small amount of research has been completed with human subjects. It is used to lessen the anxiety brought on by consuming THC, thereby using a cannabis derivative to mitigate the effects of another.
“Our study demonstrates that d-limonene can modulate the effects of THC in a meaningful way and make THC more tolerable to people using it for both therapeutic and non-therapeutic purposes,” senior study author Ryan Vandrey said.
Major research initiative was launched in December
At the end of last year, Johns Hopkins initiated a study that will involve monitoring 10,000 medical cannabis patients over a 365-day period as they “progress from cannabis naivety through a year or more of cannabis use.”
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is providing a US$10 million dollar grant for the intitiative. The aim is to obtain sizeable troves of beneficial data.
Johns Hopkins has its own Cannabis Science Laboratory. It has been the site of extensive research on everything from marijuana-induced driving impairment to the plant’s potential for treating opioid addiction.
rowan@mugglehead.com
