Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract The physiological and pathophysiological roles of the central nervous endogenous cannabinoid system are not completely understood, but still represent a challenge in basic neurobiological, cognitive, and psychiatric research. The system has been implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Binocular depth inversion, an illusion of visual perception, provides a model of impaired perception during psychotic states. Using this model the effects of nabilone, a psychoactive synthetic 9-trans-ketocannabinoid, and of cannabidiol, the main natural component of herbal cannabis, and a combined application of both substances on binocular depth inversion and behavioural states were investigated in nine healthy male volunteers. The time course...

Abstract Objective To compare the analgesic efficacy and side effects of the synthetic cannabinoid nabilone with those of the weak opioid dihydrocodeine for chronic neuropathic pain. Design Randomised, double blind, crossover trial of 14 weeks’ duration comparing dihydrocodeine and nabilone. Setting Outpatient units of three hospitals in the United Kingdom. Participants 96 patients with chronic neuropathic pain, aged 23-84 years. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was difference between nabilone and dihydrocodeine in pain, as measured by the mean visual analogue score computed over the last 2 weeks of each treatment period. Secondary outcomes were changes in mood, quality of life, sleep, and psychometric function. Side effects were measured...

Abstract A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to determine the benefit of nabilone in pain management and quality of life improvement in 40 patients with fibromyalgia. After a baseline assessment, subjects were titrated up on nabilone, from 0.5 mg PO at bedtime to 1 mg BID over 4 weeks or received a corresponding placebo. At the 2- and 4-week visits, the primary outcome measure, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, and the secondary outcome measures, number of tender points, the average tender point pain threshold, and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), were evaluated. After a 4-week washout period, subjects returned for reassessment of...

Abstract   Objectives: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a diagnosis of extreme anxiety caused by a traumatic event. Less than 10% of individuals who have experienced severe trauma will develop this disorder. Treatment options include various psychotherapies, but not all patients respond to them. Different pharmacological approaches have been explored as potential adjuvants, including using cannabinoids to target the endocannabinoid system to reduce the symptoms and enhance extinction training over the associated fear memories. This review was aimed to determine the effects of using cannabinoids for treatment of PTSD.   Content: For this review, four cohort studies, four randomized clinical trials, one case report, and one...

Abstract: Nabilone is a synthetic cannabinoid that has shown promise for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)Yrelated insomnia and nightmares as well as efficacy in the management of chronic pain. It has also been proposed for harm reduction in cannabis dependence. Its effectiveness for management of concurrent disorders in seriously mentally ill correctional populations has not been evaluated. This retrospective study of 104 male inmates with serious mental illness prescribed nabilone analyzes the indications, efficacy, and safety of its use. Medications discontinued with the initiation of nabilone were also reviewed. The results showed nabilone targeting a mean of 3.5 indications per patient, thus...

This is the report of an open label clinical trial to evaluate the effects of nabilone, an endocannabinoid receptor agonist, on treatment-resistant nightmares in patients diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).   Methods: Charts of 47 patients diagnosed with PTSD and having continuing nightmares in spite of conventional antidepressants and hypnotics were reviewed after adjunctive treatment with nabilone was initiated. These patients had been referred to a psychiatric specialist outpatient clinic between 2004 and 2006. The majority of patients (72%) receiving nabilone experienced either cessation of nightmares or a significant reduction in nightmare intensity. Subjective improvement in sleep time, the quality of sleep, and...

Objective: The management of agitation in dementia is a growing problem and conventional modes of intervention have limited efficacy. Synthetic Cannabinoids have been studied in other conditions like pain and multiple sclerosis. There is limited data available on their role in dementia. The authors aim to review the available literature and report on the efficacy of treatment with synthetic cannabinoids in two cases of dementia. Method: Two cases of patients with severe dementia were reported on for the off label use of Nabilone for their symptoms of psychomotor agitation and aggression. Informed consent was obtained from the patients’ substitute decision makers. The Kensington Standardized...

There is a growing amount of evidence to suggest that cannabis and individual cannabinoids may be effective in suppressing certain symptoms of multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury, including spasticity and pain. Anecdotal evidence is to be found in newspaper reports and also in responses to questionnaires. Clinical evidence comes from trials, albeit with rather small numbers of patients. These trials have shown that cannabis, D9 -tetrahydrocannabinol, and nabilone can produce objective and/or subjective relief from spasticity, pain, tremor, and nocturia in patients with multiple sclerosis (8 trials) or spinal cord injury (1 trial). The clinical evidence is supported by results from experiments with...

Bipolar affective disorder is often poorly controlled by prescribed drugs. Cannabis use is common in patients with this disorder and anecdotal reports suggest that some patients take it to alleviate symptoms of both mania and depression. We undertook a literature review of cannabis use by patients with bipolar disorder and of the neuropharmacological properties of cannabinoids suggesting possible therapeutic effects in this condition. No systematic studies of cannabinoids in bipolar disorder were found to exist, although some patients claim that cannabis relieves symptoms of mania and/or depression. The cannabinoids ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) may exert sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic, antidepressant, antipsychotic and anticonvulsant effects....

This study reviews human clinical experience to date with several synthetic cannabinoids, including nabilone, levonantradol, ajulemic acid (CT3), dexanabinol (HU-211), HU-308, and SR141716 (Rimonabant®). Additionally, the concept of “clinical endogenous cannabinoid deficiency” is explored as a possible factor in migraine, idiopathic bowel disease, fibromyalgia and other clinical pain states. The concept of analgesic synergy of cannabinoids and opioids is addressed. A cannabinoid-mediated improvement in night vision at the retinal level is discussed, as well as its potential application to treatment of retinitis pigmentosa and other conditions. Additionally noted is the role of cannabinoid treatment in neuroprotection and its application to closed head injury, cerebrovascular...