Peer-reviewed industrial hemp research papers, sorted by publication date. Browse the latest findings on hemp cultivation, processing, materials science, biomedical applications, and regulatory science from PubMed, OpenAlex, and other indexed sources.
This Australia-wide study found clear differences in consumer-reported experiences of prescribed THC- and CBD-containing products. Current prescriptions of these products do not always align with relevant clinical guidance. Educating prescribers around cannabinoid products is essential to ensure optimal prescribing practices and to prevent avoidable drug side effects and interactions.
This case report presents a rare and severe complication of cannabis use in a 32-year-old male patient. The patient presented with status epilepticus and was found to have acute irreversible hippocampal toxic encephalopathy confirmed by MRI. Despite aggressive treatment with sedation and anti-epileptic therapy up to quad therapy, the patient's seizures were refractory to treatment. The patient initially regained consciousness, but later suffered a relapse of status epilepticus and respiratory di
Cannabis sativa has been applied for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Cannabidiol is the main non-psychotropic compound in Cannabis sativa, and has its therapeutic effect extremely linked to the central nervous system, presenting pharmacological properties with great potential for the treatment of several pathologies. The aim is to identify and relate the therapeutic effects of cannabidiol in medicine, focusing on its therapeutic potential in epilepsy, autism, Parkinson's disease, Alzh
This review describes the similarities and differences between the developmental encephalopathies including Rett syndrome (RTT), MECP2 Duplication Disorder (MDD), CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder (CDD), and FOXG1 Disorder (FD).RTT and MDD represent opposite ends of deficiency and duplication of MECP2 whereas CDD and FD were initially described as variants of RTT before their specific genetic variants were identified and they were recognized as distinct disorders.The subsequent discussions outline the c
Neuroinflammation plays a pivotal role in the onset and progression of epilepsy. In this review, we critically examine: (1) the dual roles of astrocytes and microglia in maintaining a chronic inflammation and its contribution to epileptogenesis and seizures; (2) the crosstalk between the histamine released by mast cells and the brain histaminergic neurotransmission, an underexplored mechanism for seizures; (3) the potential of inflammatory mediators as biomarkers for predicting prognosis and ris
This study explored the use of highly purified Cannabidiol (CBD, Epidiolex®) as an add-on therapy for individuals with drug-resistant epilepsy due to Rett Syndrome (RTT) or CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder (CDD). Twenty-seven participants received CBD alongside their usual ASMs. After a median treatment duration of 14 months, 66.6% experienced fewer seizures, with some showing over 75% reduction. Side effects were generally mild, mainly sleepiness or irritability. Notably, caregivers reported improveme
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an adjuvant neuromodulation therapy for the treatment of refractory epilepsy. However, the mechanisms behind its effectiveness are not fully understood. Our aim was to develop a VNS protocol for the Genetic Audiogenic Seizure Hamster from Salamanca (GASH/Sal) in order to evaluate the mechanisms of action of the therapy. The rodents were subject to VNS for 14 days using clinical stimulation parameters by implanting a clinically available neurostimulation device or
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are ligand-gated ion channels present at most excitatory synapses in the brain that play essential roles in cognitive functions including learning and memory consolidation. However, NMDAR dysregulation is implicated in many nervous system disorders. Diseases that involve pathological hyperactivity of NMDARs can be treated clinically through inhibition by channel blocking drugs. NMDAR channel block can occur via two known mechanisms. First, in traditional b
Noninvasive brain stimulation, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation, offers new treatment options for patients with focal seizures. This study reviewed the experience at Mayo Clinic using noninvasive brain stimulation in the hospital, clinic, and at-home settings to treat seizures. The results showed an overall 50% median seizure reduction, and 58% of patients had at least a 50% reduction in seizures. Noninvasive brain stimulation is a promising t
Cenobamate is a novel third-generation antiepileptic drug used for the treatment of focal onset seizures and particularly for multi-drug-resistant epilepsy; it acts on multiple targets: GABA<sub>A</sub> receptors (EC<sub>50</sub> 42-194 µM) and persistent neuronal Na<sup>+</sup> currents (IC<sub>50</sub> 59 µM). Side effects include QT<sub>c</sub> interval shortening with >20 ms, but not <300 ms. Our in vitro cardiac safety pharmacology study was performed via whole-cell patch-clamp on HEK293T c
Introducción: el síndrome de Dravet, también conocido como epilepsia mioclónica grave de la infancia, corresponde a una encefalopatía epiléptica resistente a fármacos que inicia generalmente en el primer año de vida. Se caracteriza por crisis epilépticas que suelen tener múltiples desencadenantes; el más asociado es la presencia de episodios febriles previos. Se considera una enfermedad rara, debido a su baja incidencia y prevalencia. Presentación del caso: niño de 10 años de edad con un cuadro
Our study underlines the usefulness of cenobamate in treating patients with ultra-refractory epilepsy and indicates its long-term effectiveness in real-world clinical practice.
The cannabinoids, Δ9 tetrahydrocannabinol and its analogue, nabilone, have been found to reliably attenuate the intensity and frequency of post-traumatic nightmares. This essay examines how a traumatic event is captured in the mind, after just a single exposure, and repeatedly replicated during the nights that follow. The adaptive neurophysiological, endocrine and inflammatory changes that are triggered by the trauma and that alter personality and behavior are surveyed. These adaptive changes, o
The focus of this research was to implement a new RP-HPLC-PDA method for determining cannabidiol (CBD), which has been established with the help of Quality by Design (QbD). Design expert (version 12) software was used to conduct the factor screening studies. The mobile phase ratio, flow rate, and temperature conditions were used as independent variables, while retention time, peak area, and peak tailing were used as dependent variables in a Box-Behnken design. The best separation was obtained wi
Physician-patient collaboration was recognized as a critical core of participatory medicine more than a century ago. However, the subsequent focus on scientific research to enable cures and increased dominance of physicians in health care subordinated patients to a passive role. This paternalistic model weakened in the past 50 years-as women, minorities, and the disabled achieved greater rights, and as incurable chronic diseases and unrelieved pain disorders became more prevalent-promoting a mor
One third of the overall epilepsy population are estimated to be a drug refractory epilepsy (DRE), defined as the patients who failed to control seizure reduction, even tried two or more appropriate antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) trials. Those people need additional AEDs trials or other treatment options (resective surgery, neuromoulation, etc.). Here, we, clinical guideline committee of the Korean Neurological Association (KNA) introduce the recommendations of AEDs treatments including not only old
The study results support the long-term effectiveness and tolerability of eslicarbazepine in a cohort of children with predominantly drug-resistant epilepsy in a real-life setting from 3 Canadian centers with initial use after approval. Adverse effects were nonserious, infrequently leading to eslicarbazepine discontinuation.
Background: With roughly 50 million people affected in the world, epilepsy is a particularly important disorder of the brain commonly diagnosed based on findings of quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG). The present investigation was aimed to evaluate differences in QEEG readings of drug-resistant and drug-responsive patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) with tonic-clonic seizures in a northwestern Iranian population.Methods: A total of 60 participants, consisting of 30 drug-r
The aim of this study was to determine the antiviral activity of cannabidiol (CBD) against SARS-CoV-2 infection. CBD is the second most studied cannabinoid obtained from Cannabis plants. We investigated the potential use of CBD, which has so far proven to have a positive effect on different diseases, in the SARS-CoV-2 infection. To test this, in vivo studies were carried out using K18-hACE2 transgenic mice. To reveal the potential therapeutic effect of the CBD at the histopathological and molecu
Our results suggest CBD to be an effective ASM, with 50% responder rates similar to those observed in regulatory trials for other ASMs licensed in focal epilepsies. Its off-label use in refractory focal-onset, genetic generalised, and other unclassified epilepsies seems to be safe and well-tolerated.
In the recent 3 years, subjects with Pumilio1-associated developmental disability, ataxia, and seizure syndrome have been identified as harboring Pumilio homolog 1 (<i>PUM1</i>) mutations. However, the characteristics of the seizure phenotype remain to be elucidated. We herein described a 3-year-old female proband who was diagnosed with developmental and epileptic encephalopathy presenting with some features suggestive of a Dravet-like syndrome. For genetic analyses, trio-based whole-exome seque
Language task fMRI reveals additional areas of activation in new onset BECTS compared to healthy controls which may be compensatory in nature. Antiseizure medications (ASMs) and/or longer duration of BECTS additionally appears to affect language-related regions and reduce their functional ability.
Rescue drugs are used to treat seizure clusters. Responsive neurostimulation (RNS) devices detect and record epilepsy brain waves and then send a pulse to help stop seizures. This pilot study looked at whether one dose of a rescue treatment changes brain activity detected by RNS. There was a very wide range of detections, which made it difficult to see if or how the drug changed brain activity. New studies should look at other types of brain activity, multiple doses, and larger patient groups.
Diagnosis of Dravet syndrome, a rare and severe form of childhood-onset epilepsy, is often challenging to give to parents. This international study developed guidance and recommendations to help healthcare professionals better structure and personalize this disclosure. By following this advice, doctors can provide more tailored support to families, improving their understanding and management of the condition.
Case presentation: A 12-year-old girl presented with recurrent tonic-clonic seizures, alternating with interictal sleepiness and confusion, after an initial picture of two days of fever and flu-like symptoms. The patient developed a refractory status epilepticus and was intubated and remained in coma for 30 days. The patient had a previous history of mild neurodevelopmental delay and a diagnosis of mild mental retardation. At seven years old, the patient started to present tonic-clonic seizures,