CBD Induces Rapid and Sustained Antidepressant Like Effects

Article recommended by Dr. David Hepburn:

Cannabidiol Induces Rapid and Sustained Antidepressant-Like Effects Through Increased BDNF Signaling and Synaptogenesis in the Prefrontal Cortex.

Abstract:

Currently available antidepressants have a substantial time lag to induce therapeutic response and a relatively low efficacy. The development of drugs that addresses these limitations is critical to improving public health. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotomimetic component of Cannabis sativa, is a promising compound since it shows large-spectrum therapeutic potential in preclinical models and humans. 

However, its antidepressant properties have not been completely investigated. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate in male rodents (i) whether CBD could induce rapid and sustained antidepressant-like effects after a single administration and (ii) whether such effects could be related to changes in synaptic proteins/function. Results showed that a single dose of CBD dose-dependently induced antidepressant-like effect (7-30 mg/kg) in Swiss mice submitted to the forced swim test (FST), 30 min (acute) or 7 days (sustained) following treatment. 

Similar effects were observed in the Flinders Sensitive and Flinders Resistant Line (FSL/FRL) rats and the learned helplessness (LH) paradigm using Wistar rats. The acute antidepressant effects (30 min) were associated with increased expression of synaptophysin and PSD95 in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and elevated BDNF levels in both mPFC and hippocampus (HPC). CBD also increased spine density in the mPFC after 30 min, but not 7 days later. 

Intracerebroventricular injection of the TrkB antagonist, K252a (0.05 nmol/μL), or the mTOR inhibitor, rapamycin (1 nmol/μL), abolished the behavioral effects of CBD. These results indicate that CBD induces fast and sustained antidepressant-like effect in distinct animal models relevant for depression. These effects may be related to rapid changes in synaptic plasticity in the mPFC through activation of the BDNF-TrkB signaling pathway. The data support a promising therapeutic profile for CBD as a new fast-acting antidepressant drug.

“This is not insignificant. Clearly, CBD is psychoactive but in ways that harness the brain’s natural neuroplasticity to create synapses in areas that create and control emotions. The fact that CBD induces fast and sustained antidepressant-like effects is very encouraging. Clinical studies should follow, as a fast acting antidepressant is a much sought after commodity."

Dr. David Hepburn 

To read the full article please visit:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29869197

Dr. David Hepburn website:

doctordavidhepburn.com

LEGALIZING MEDICAL CANNABIS ACTUALLY IMPROVES WORKPLACE SAFETY

Article recommended by Dr. David Frederick Hepburn:

Medical marijuana laws and workplace fatalities in the United States.

Abstract

• AIMS: The aim of this research was to determine the association between legalizing medical marijuana and workplace fatalities.

• DESIGN:Repeated cross-sectional data on workplace fatalities at the state-year level were analyzed using a multivariate Poisson regression.

• SETTING: To date, 29 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Although there is increasing concern that legalizing medical marijuana will make workplaces more dangerous, little is known about the relationship between medical marijuana laws (MMLs) and workplace fatalities.

• PARTICIPANTS: All 50 states and the District of Columbia for the period 1992-2015.

• MEASUREMENTS: Workplace fatalities by state and year were obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regression models were adjusted for state demographics, the unemployment rate, state fixed effects, and year fixed effects.

• FINDINGS: Legalizing medical marijuana was associated with a 19.5% reduction in the expected number of workplace fatalities among workers aged 25-44 (incident rate ratio [IRR], 0.805; 95% CI, .662-.979). The association between legalizing medical marijuana and workplace fatalities among workers aged 16-24, although negative, was not statistically significant at conventional levels. The association between legalizing medical marijuana and workplace fatalities among workers aged 25-44 grew stronger over time. Five years after coming into effect, MMLs were associated with a 33.7% reduction in the expected number of workplace fatalities (IRR, 0.663; 95% CI, .482-.912). MMLs that listed pain as a qualifying condition or allowed collective cultivation were associated with larger reductions in fatalities among workers aged 25-44 than those that did not.

• CONCLUSIONS: The results provide evidence that legalizing medical marijuana improved workplace safety for workers aged 25-44. Further investigation is required to determine whether this result is attributable to reductions in the consumption of alcohol and other substances that impair cognitive function, memory, and motor skills.

• KEYWORDS: Medical marijuana; Workplace fatalities

“While this may seem, at first blush, to go against reason, the reduction of alcohol consumption with medical cannabis use, has been show to improve alcohol-related safety parameters in jurisdictions where medical cannabis is permitted. That it appears to extend to the workplace is very revealing" Dr. David Hepburn

To read the full article please visit:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30092547