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Haller J. Herbal Cannabis and Depression: A Review of Findings Published over the Last Three Years. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:689. [PMID: 38931356 PMCID: PMC11206863 DOI: 10.3390/ph17060689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Public perception contrasts scientific findings on the depression-related effects of cannabis. However, earlier studies were performed when cannabis was predominantly illegal, its production was mostly uncontrolled, and the idea of medical cannabis was incipient only. We hypothesized that recent changes in attitudes and legislations may have favorably affected research. In addition, publication bias against cannabis may have also decreased. To investigate this hypothesis, we conducted a review of research studies published over the last three years. We found 156 relevant research articles. In most cross-sectional studies, depression was higher in those who consumed cannabis than in those who did not. An increase in cannabis consumption was typically followed by an increase in depression, whereas withdrawal from cannabis ameliorated depression in most cases. Although medical cannabis reduced depression in most studies, none of these were placebo-controlled. In clinical studies published in the same period, the placebo also ameliorated depression and, in addition, the average effect size of the placebo was larger than the average effect size of medical cannabis. We also investigated the plausibility of the antidepressant effects of cannabis by reviewing molecular and pharmacological studies. Taken together, the reviewed findings do not support the antidepressant effects of herbal cannabis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jozsef Haller
- Drug Research Institute, 1137 Budapest, Hungary;
- Department of Criminal Psychology, Faculty of Law Enforcement, Ludovika University of Public Service, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
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Burdinski D, Kodibagkar A, Potter K, Schuster R, Evins AE, Ghosh S, Gilman J. Impact of year-long cannabis use for medical symptoms on brain activation during cognitive processes. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.04.29.24306516. [PMID: 38746368 PMCID: PMC11092687 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.29.24306516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Importance Cannabis is increasingly being used to treat medical symptoms, but the effects of cannabis use on brain function in those using cannabis for these symptoms is not known. Objective To test whether brain activation during working memory, reward, and inhibitory control tasks, areas of cognition impacted by cannabis, showed increases following one year of cannabis use for medical symptoms. Design This observational cohort study took place from July 2017 to July 2020 and is reported on in 2024. Setting Participants were from the greater Boston area. Participants Participants were recruited as part of a clinical trial based on seeking medical cannabis cards for anxiety, depression, pain, or sleep disorders, and were between 18 and 65 years. Exclusion criteria were daily cannabis use and cannabis use disorder at baseline. Main Outcomes and Measures Outcomes were whole brain functional activation during tasks involving working memory, reward and inhibitory control at baseline and after one year of cannabis use. Results Imaging was collected in participants before and one year after obtaining medical cannabis cards; 57 at baseline (38 female [66.7%]; mean [SD] age, 38.0 [14.6] years) at baseline, and 54 at one-year (37 female [68.5%]; mean [SD] age, 38.7 [14.3] years). Imaging was also collected in 32 healthy control participants (22 female [68.8%]; mean [SD] age, 33.8 [11.8] years) at baseline. In all groups and at both time points, functional imaging revealed canonical activations of the probed cognitive processes. No statistically significant difference in brain activation between the two timepoints (baseline and one-year) in those with medical cannabis cards and no association of changes in cannabis use frequency with brain activation were found. Conclusions and Relevance Findings suggest that adults do not show significant neural effects in the areas of cognition of working memory, reward, and inhibitory control after one year of cannabis use for medical symptoms. The results warrant further studies that probe effects of cannabis at higher doses, with greater frequency, in younger age groups, and with larger, more diverse cohorts. Trial Registration NCT03224468, https://clinicaltrials.gov/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debbie Burdinski
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Alisha Kodibagkar
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA
- University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Kevin Potter
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Center for Addiction Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Randi Schuster
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Center for Addiction Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - A Eden Evins
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Center for Addiction Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Satrajit Ghosh
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Jodi Gilman
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Center for Addiction Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital
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Dawson D, Stjepanović D, Lorenzetti V, Cheung C, Hall W, Leung J. The prevalence of cannabis use disorders in people who use medicinal cannabis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Drug Alcohol Depend 2024; 257:111263. [PMID: 38493566 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The prevalence of cannabis use disorders (CUDs) in people who use cannabis recreationally has been estimated at 22%, yet there is a dearth of literature exploring CUDs among people who use medicinal cannabis. We aimed to systematically review the prevalence of CUDs in people who use medicinal cannabis. METHODS In our systematic review and meta-analysis, we followed PRISMA guidelines and searched three databases (PsychInfo, Embase and PubMed) to identify studies examining the prevalence of CUDs in people who use medicinal cannabis. Meta-analyses were calculated on the prevalence of CUDs. Prevalence estimates were pooled across different prevalence periods using the DSM-IV and DSM-5. RESULTS We conducted a systematic review of 14 eligible publications, assessing the prevalence of CUDs, providing data for 3681 participants from five different countries. The systematic review demonstrated that demographic factors, mental health disorders and the management of chronic pain with medicinal cannabis were associated with an elevated risk of CUDs. Meta-analyses were conducted on the prevalence of CUDs. For individuals using medicinal cannabis in the past 6-12 months, the prevalence of CUDs was 29% (95% CI: 21-38%) as per DSM-5 criteria. Similar prevalence was observed using DSM-IV (24%, CI: 14-38%) for the same period. When including all prevalence periods and using the DSM-5, the prevalence of CUDs in people who use medicinal cannabis was estimated at 25% (CI: 18-33%). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of CUDs in people who use medicinal cannabis is substantial and comparable to people who use cannabis for recreational reasons, emphasizing the need for ongoing research to monitor the prevalence of CUDs in people who use medicinal cannabis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Dawson
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland, 31 Upland Road, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia.
| | - Daniel Stjepanović
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland, 31 Upland Road, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
| | - Valentina Lorenzetti
- Healthy Brain and Mind Research Centre, School of Behavioural & Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Science, Australian Catholic University, Daniel Mannix Building, Fitzroy, VIC 3065, Australia
| | - Christy Cheung
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland, 31 Upland Road, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
| | - Wayne Hall
- National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland, 31 Upland Road, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
| | - Janni Leung
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland, 31 Upland Road, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
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Specka M, Bonnet U, Schmidberg L, Wichmann J, Keller M, Scholze C, Scherbaum N. Effectiveness of Medical Cannabis for the Treatment of Depression: A Naturalistic Outpatient Study. PHARMACOPSYCHIATRY 2024; 57:61-68. [PMID: 38211630 DOI: 10.1055/a-2215-6114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a lack of studies on the course and effectiveness of medical cannabis in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS Retrospective longitudinal (18 weeks) study of n=59 outpatients with MDD, treated with medical cannabis via a telemedical platform. Previous treatment with antidepressant medication was required for inclusion into the study. Standardized data collection was carried out at entry and during monthly consultations. Severity of depression was measured on a 0-10 point rating scale. Side-effects were assessed by a checklist. RESULTS Patients were 20-54 years old; 72.9% were male; one third reported times of regular cannabis consumption within the previous five years. Drop-out rate was 22% after 18 weeks. Mean severity of depression decreased from 6.9 points (SD 1.5) at entry to 3.8 points (2.7) at week 18 (baseline observation carried forward; 95% CI for the mean difference: 2.4 to 3.8; p<0.001). A treatment response (>50% reduction of the initial score) was seen in 50.8% at week 18. One third of patients complained about side effects, none was considered as severe. Concomitant antidepressant medication (31% of patients) was not associated with outcome. CONCLUSIONS Medical cannabis was well tolerated and dropout rate was comparable to those in clinical trials of antidepressant medication. Patients reported a clinically significant reduction of depression severity. Further research on the effectiveness of medical cannabis for MDD seems warranted. Risks of this medication, such as sustaining or inducing a cannabis use disorder, or side effects such as poor concentration, must be taken into consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Specka
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, LVR-Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Udo Bonnet
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatic Medicine, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Castrop-Rauxel, Academic Teaching Hospital of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | | | | | - Martin Keller
- Algea Care GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Global Development and Health, The University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Norbert Scherbaum
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, LVR-Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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Koller D, Friligkou E, Stiltner B, Pathak GA, Løkhammer S, Levey DF, Zhou H, Hatoum AS, Deak JD, Kember RL, Treur JL, Kranzler HR, Johnson EC, Stein MB, Gelernter J, Polimanti R. Pleiotropy and genetically inferred causality linking multisite chronic pain to substance use disorders. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02446-3. [PMID: 38355787 PMCID: PMC11324857 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02446-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Individuals suffering from chronic pain develop substance use disorders (SUDs) more often than others. Understanding the shared genetic influences underlying the comorbidity between chronic pain and SUDs will lead to a greater understanding of their biology. Genome-wide association statistics were obtained from the UK Biobank for multisite chronic pain (MCP, Neffective = 387,649) and from the Million Veteran Program and the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium meta-analyses for alcohol use disorder (AUD, Neffective = 296,974), cannabis use disorder (CanUD, Neffective = 161,053), opioid use disorder (OUD, Neffective = 57,120), and problematic tobacco use (PTU, Neffective = 270,120). SNP-based heritability was estimated for each of the traits and genetic correlation (rg) analyses were performed to assess MCP-SUD pleiotropy. Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization analyses evaluated possible causal relationships. Finally, to identify and characterize individual loci, we performed a genome-wide pleiotropy analysis and a brain-wide analysis using imaging phenotypes available from the UK Biobank. MCP was positively genetically correlated with AUD (rg = 0.26, p = 7.55 × 10-18), CanUD (rg = 0.37, p = 8.21 × 10-37), OUD (rg = 0.20, p = 1.50 × 10-3), and PTU (rg = 0.29, p = 8.53 × 10-12). Although the MR analyses supported bi-directional relationships, MCP had larger effects on AUD (pain-exposure: beta = 0.18, p = 8.21 × 10-4; pain-outcome: beta = 0.07, p = 0.018), CanUD (pain-exposure: beta = 0.58, p = 2.70 × 10-6; pain-outcome: beta = 0.05, p = 0.014) and PTU (pain-exposure: beta = 0.43, p = 4.16 × 10-8; pain-outcome: beta = 0.09, p = 3.05 × 10-6) than the reverse. The genome-wide analysis identified two SNPs pleiotropic between MCP and all SUD investigated: IHO1 rs7652746 (ppleiotropy = 2.69 × 10-8), and CADM2 rs1248857 (ppleiotropy = 1.98 × 10-5). In the brain-wide analysis, rs7652746 was associated with multiple cerebellum and amygdala imaging phenotypes. When analyzing MCP pleiotropy with each SUD separately, we found 25, 22, and 4 pleiotropic variants for AUD, CanUD, and OUD, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first large-scale study to provide evidence of potential causal relationships and shared genetic mechanisms underlying MCP-SUD comorbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dora Koller
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology, and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Eleni Friligkou
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Brendan Stiltner
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Gita A Pathak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Solveig Løkhammer
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- NORMENT, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Dr. Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Center for Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Daniel F Levey
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Hang Zhou
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Alexander S Hatoum
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Joseph D Deak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rachel L Kember
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Integrated Service Network 4, Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jorien L Treur
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Henry R Kranzler
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Integrated Service Network 4, Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Emma C Johnson
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Murray B Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Renato Polimanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, USA.
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Goodin AJ, Tran PT, McKee S, Sajdeya R, Jyot J, Cook RL, Wang Y, Winterstein AG. Proceedings of the 2023 Cannabis Clinical Outcomes Research Conference. Med Cannabis Cannabinoids 2023; 6:97-101. [PMID: 37900895 PMCID: PMC10601943 DOI: 10.1159/000533943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research, a multi-university collaboration established by the state of Florida in the USA, hosted its third annual Cannabis Clinical Outcomes Research Conference (CCORC) in May 2023. CCORC was held as a hybrid conference, with a scientific program consisting of in-person sessions, with some sessions livestreamed to virtual attendees. CCORC facilitated and promoted up-to-date research on the clinical effects of medical cannabis, fostering collaboration and active involvement among scientists, policymakers, industry professionals, clinicians, and other stakeholders. Three themes emerged from conference sessions and speaker presentations: (1) disentangling conflicting evidence for the effects of medical cannabis on public health, (2) seeking solutions to address barriers faced when conducting clinical cannabis research - especially with medical cannabis use in special populations such as those who are pregnant, and (3) unpacking the data behind cannabis use and mental health outcomes. The fourth annual CCORC is planned for the summer of 2024 in Florida, USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amie J. Goodin
- Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Safety (CoDES), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Phuong T. Tran
- Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Sam McKee
- Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Ruba Sajdeya
- Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jeevan Jyot
- Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Robert L. Cook
- Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Yan Wang
- Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Almut G. Winterstein
- Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Safety (CoDES), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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