If you have seen the recent Will Smith movie "Concussion" you know that people who sustain multiple concussions are at severe risk to develop a horrible disease called Chronic Traumatic Enchepalopathy which causes severe depression, erratic behaviour and death. Not only athletes such as football players, mixed Martial artists and boxers are at risk, but also anyone who has sustained a head injury of any kind. In addition to CTE, traumatic brain injury often results in post concussion syndrome.
An increasing body of evidence is proving that cannabis may be a highly effective treatment for traumatic brain injury, post concussion syndrome and CTE, and that cannabis use can protect and heal the brain following a concussion.
Cannabis as a Treatment for Concussions, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and Post-Concussion Syndrome
"Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy- the presentation of symptoms that occurs in those stricken with the disease are not always readily apparent. Concussions and sub-concussive impacts on the brain cause the rapid brain decay that is a precursor to CTE. Eventually, the lobes of the brain blacken and lose density—causing depression, early on-set dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and eventual death.
Last year, Lester Grinspoon a Harvard emeritus professor of psychiatry and prominent advocate for the medical use of marijuana, wrote an open letter to the NFL urging the league to support research into the neuro-protective potential of marijuana to alleviate CTE. According to Grinspoon, a National Institute of Health study on rat brain cells from 1998pointed to neuro-protective qualities of two ingredients of marijuana, Cannabidiol and Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabidol (THC). In 2008, a similar study in Spain revealed that the THC receptors in the brain are involved in the healing process upon sustaining brain injury. In 2013, a team of researchers in Brazil showed that Cannabidiol has the ability to regenerate brain cells in mice, specifically in the areas of the brain attributed to depression, anxiety, and chronic stress—the symptoms of CTE. Most recently, a review of traumatic brain injury cases at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif. found that patients who tested positive for high levels of THC were less likely to die of their injuries."
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbelzer/2015/10/18/the-nfl-should-be-investing-in-marijuana-if-it-wants-to-survive/#4c9d55c979d2
"Findings have shown that cannabis offers therapeutic benefits following brain injuries. Studies have shown that the cannabinoids found in cannabis, most specifically cannabidiol (CBD), activate the body’s cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), though evidence also suggests that the neuroprotective effects from CBD come from the cannabinoid’s activation of the 5-hydroxytriptamine1A (5-HT1A) receptor (Mishima, et al., 2005). When these receptors are activated, they provide protection against neural damage following acute and chronic brain damage (Lopez-Rodriguez, et al., 2013). For example, in one study, the administration of cannabinoids following a traumatic brain injury decreased brain swelling and inflammation and was shown to improve recovery (Shohami, et al., 2011). Another showed that CBD alone provided neuroprotection and limited brain cell death in newborn mice following a hypoxic-ischemic event (Castillo, et al., 2010). Others have showed that cannabinoids, through the activation of the endocannabinoid system, prevent glutamate excitotoxicity, intracellular calcium accumulation, activation of cell death pathways, microglia activation, neurovascular reactivity and circulating leukocytes following a brain injury. Researchers concluded that modulating the endocannabinoid system is an effective way to provide neuroprotection and prevent and reduce brain injury (Fernandez-Lopez, Lizasoain, Moro & Orgado, 2013).
Another found that CBD, in addition to providing neuroprotective effects and reducing long-term brain injury, also helped restore neurobehavioral function following a hypoxia-ischemia event (Pazos, et al., 2012).
Studies have also shown that cannabis can help post-concussion syndrome patients manage the symptoms associated with the disorder. CBD can lower stress, help combat depression, improve sleep and reduce pain (Abush & Akirav, 2013) (Campos, et al., 2012) (Chagas, et al., 2013) (Russo, Guy & Robson, 2007) (Baron, 2015)."
http://www.medicalmarijuanainc.com/post-concussion-syndrome-medical-marijuana-research-overview/
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Edited by Moonshoe (07/26/16 09:23 AM)
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