BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Hepatic encephalopathy is a neuropsychiatric disorder of complex pathogenesis caused by acute or chronic liver failure. We investigated the effects of cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive constituent of Cannabis sativa with anti-inflammatory properties that activates the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 5-HT1A, on brain and liver functions in a model of hepatic encephalopathy associated with fulminant hepatic failure induced in mice by thioacetamide. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Female Sabra mice were injected with either saline or thioacetamide and were treated with either vehicle or cannabidiol. Neurological and motor functions were evaluated 2 and 3 days, respectively, after induction of hepatic failure, after which brains and livers were removed...

Abstract Background Levels of cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R) mRNA and protein, which are expressed most heavily in the cholecystokinin class of GABA neurons, are lower in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in schizophrenia, and the magnitude of these differences is strongly correlated with that for glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) mRNA, a synthesizing enzyme for GABA. However, whether this correlation reflects a cause-effect relationship is unknown. Methods Using quantitative in situ hybridization, we measured CB1R, GAD67, and diacylglycerol lipase alpha (DAGLα; the synthesizing enzyme for the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol) mRNA levels in the medial prefrontal cortex of genetically-engineered GAD67 heterozygous (GAD67+/−), CB1R heterozygous (CB1R+/−), CB1R knockout (CB1R−/−), and matched...

Abstract Objectives: To study possible psychopathological symptoms and cognitive deficits, abuse induction, as well as general tolerability and effects on quality of life, fatigue and motor function in cannabis-naïve patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with a free-dose cannabis plant extract (Sativex). Methods: In an 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group crossover trial, 17 cannabis-naïve patients with MS were assessed at baseline and at the end of the cannabis and placebo phases of the trial (each of 3 weeks) by means of Symptom Checklist-90 Revised, Self-rating Anxiety Scale, Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (of which 1 dimension is the Paced Auditory Serial Additional Test that was used...