Cannabinoids for the treatment of dementia

Kuharić, Dina Bošnjak; Marković, Domagoj; Brković, Tonći; Kegalj, Milka Jeric; Rubić, Žana; Vukasović, Ana Vuica; Jerončić, Ana; Puljak, Livia

doi:10.1002/14651858.cd012820.pub2

Cited by 24 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 125 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Among the tested cognitive enhancers is caffeine [ 378 , 379 ], guanfacine [ 380 ], and octohydroaminoacridine succinate [ 381 ], but also nicotine [ 382 , 383 ], CST-2032 (β 2 -adrenergic receptor agonist), and AD-35 [ 384 ]. Neuropsychiatric drugs tested for use in AD include escitalopram [ 385 ], brexpiprazole [ 386 ], dextromethorphan/bupropion (AXS-05) [ 387 ], and deudextromethorphan/quinidine (d-DXM/Q) [ 388 ]; this group also includes drugs acting through the endocannabinoid system, e.g., nabilone, dronabinol, and cannabidiol (CBD) [ 389 ] ( Table 2 ).…”

Section: Alzheimer’s Drugsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking the Amyloid, Tau, and Mitochondrial Hypotheses of Alzheimer’s Disease and Identifying Promising Drug Targets

Fišar

2022

Biomolecules

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Damage or loss of brain cells and impaired neurochemistry, neurogenesis, and synaptic and nonsynaptic plasticity of the brain lead to dementia in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Injury to synapses and neurons and accumulation of extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles are considered the main morphological and neuropathological features of AD. Age, genetic and epigenetic factors, environmental stressors, and lifestyle contribute to the risk of AD onset and progression. These risk factors are associated with structural and functional changes in the brain, leading to cognitive decline. Biomarkers of AD reflect or cause specific changes in brain function, especially changes in pathways associated with neurotransmission, neuroinflammation, bioenergetics, apoptosis, and oxidative and nitrosative stress. Even in the initial stages, AD is associated with Aβ neurotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and tau neurotoxicity. The integrative amyloid-tau-mitochondrial hypothesis assumes that the primary cause of AD is the neurotoxicity of Aβ oligomers and tau oligomers, mitochondrial dysfunction, and their mutual synergy. For the development of new efficient AD drugs, targeting the elimination of neurotoxicity, mutual potentiation of effects, and unwanted protein interactions of risk factors and biomarkers (mainly Aβ oligomers, tau oligomers, and mitochondrial dysfunction) in the early stage of the disease seems promising.

show abstract

Section: Alzheimer’s Drugsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking the Amyloid, Tau, and Mitochondrial Hypotheses of Alzheimer’s Disease and Identifying Promising Drug Targets

Fišar

2022

Biomolecules

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Recently, an extensive systematic review evaluating the use of phytocannabinoids, especially THC, in the treatment of AD, showed that this compound is effective in improving some secondary symptoms of this pathology, but not in aspects regarding memory deficits and cognition ( Bosnjak Kuharic et al, 2021 ). Although in preclinical studies CBD has shown promising effects in controlling the characteristic neuroinflammation associated with AD models and behavioral improvements, there are still no clinical studies evaluating positive effects of CBD in the control of AD symptoms in patients.…”

Section: Alzheimer’s Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

Phytocannabinoids and Cannabis-Based Products as Alternative Pharmacotherapy in Neurodegenerative Diseases: From Hypothesis to Clinical Practice

Paes-Colli

Aguiar

Isaac

et al. 2022

Front. Cell. Neurosci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Historically, Cannabis is one of the first plants to be domesticated and used in medicine, though only in the last years the amount of Cannabis-based products or medicines has increased worldwide. Previous preclinical studies and few published clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of Cannabis-based medicines in humans. Indeed, Cannabis-related medicines are used to treat multiple pathological conditions, including neurodegenerative disorders. In clinical practice, Cannabis products have already been introduced to treatment regimens of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis’s patients, and the mechanisms of action behind the reported improvement in the clinical outcome and disease progression are associated with their anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties, due to the modulation of the endocannabinoid system. In this review, we describe the role played by the endocannabinoid system in the physiopathology of Alzheimer, Parkinson, and Multiple Sclerosis, mainly at the neuroimmunological level. We also discuss the evidence for the correlation between phytocannabinoids and their therapeutic effects in these disorders, thus describing the main clinical studies carried out so far on the therapeutic performance of Cannabis-based medicines.

show abstract

“…Some clinical data supports the beneficial therapeutic effects of cannabinoids on behavioral symptoms, particularly on agitation in patients with dementia ( 43 – 45 ); however, reviews concluded that it is uncertain whether cannabinoids have any beneficial or harmful effects on behavioral disturbances related to dementia. All included studies tested THC and synthetic THC analogs; none of them examined the effect of CBD on agitation ( 46 , 47 ). Although treatment with cannabinoids appears to be safe in patients with dementia ( 47 ), cancer ( 48 ), and older patients ( 49 ); overall evidence for the management of dementia-related NPS with medical cannabis has been equivocal ( 50 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of rich cannabidiol oil on behavioral disturbances in patients with dementia: A placebo controlled randomized clinical trial

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundAlmost 90% of patients with dementia suffer from some type of neurobehavioral symptom, and there are no approved medications to address these symptoms.ObjectiveTo evaluate the safety and efficacy of the medical cannabis oil “Avidekel” for the reduction of behavioral disturbances among patients with dementia.Materials and methodsIn this randomized, double-blind, single-cite, placebo-controlled trial conducted in Israel (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03328676), patients aged at least 60, with a diagnosis of major neurocognitive disorder and associated behavioral disturbances were randomized 2:1 to receive either “Avidekel,” a broad-spectrum cannabis oil (30% cannabidiol and 1% tetrahydrocannabinol: 295 mg and 12.5 mg per ml, respectively; n = 40) or a placebo oil (n = 20) three times a day for 16 weeks. The primary outcome was a decrease, as compared to baseline, of four or more points on the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory score by week 16.ResultsFrom 60 randomized patients [mean age, 79.4 years; 36 women (60.0%)], 52 (86.7%) completed the trial (all eight patients who discontinued treatment were from the investigational group). There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of subjects who had a Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory score reduction of ≥ 4 points at week 16: 24/40 (60.0%) and 6/20 (30.0%) for investigational and control groups, respectively (χ2 = 4.80, P = 0.03). There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of subjects who had a Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory score reduction of ≥ 8 points at week 16: 20/40 (50%) and 3/20 (15%), respectively (χ2 = 6.42, P = 0.011). The ANOVA repeated measures analysis demonstrated significantly more improvement in the investigational group compared to the control group at weeks 14 and 16 (F = 3.18, P = 0.02). Treatment was mostly safe, with no significant differences in the occurrence of adverse events between the two groups.ConclusionIn this randomized controlled trial, ‘Avidekel’ oil significantly reduced agitation over placebo in patients suffering from behavioral disturbances related to dementia, with non-serious side-effects. Further research is required with a larger sample size.

show abstract

Cannabinoids for the treatment of dementia

Cited by 24 publications

References 125 publications

Linking the Amyloid, Tau, and Mitochondrial Hypotheses of Alzheimer’s Disease and Identifying Promising Drug Targets

Linking the Amyloid, Tau, and Mitochondrial Hypotheses of Alzheimer’s Disease and Identifying Promising Drug Targets

Phytocannabinoids and Cannabis-Based Products as Alternative Pharmacotherapy in Neurodegenerative Diseases: From Hypothesis to Clinical Practice

Effects of rich cannabidiol oil on behavioral disturbances in patients with dementia: A placebo controlled randomized clinical trial

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About