CBD doesn’t seem to have any psychoactive qualities. Therefore it doesn’t give you a buzz. Its potential as a treatment for depression, cognition, movement disorders, and discomfort has been investigated in the past. Still, the mechanism by which it achieves its pharmacological and therapeutic effects is unknown. The efficacy of cannabis for motor neuron disease provides improved pain and stiffness alleviation.
Cannabinoids have been approved in a number of countries for the medical therapy of spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients, and they are becoming more widely acknowledged as a viable pain control alternative.
Before proceeding on to the treatment of cannabis for motor neuron illness, let us first understand what this disease is all about.
What Is Motor Neuron Disease?
MNDs are a set of degenerative neurological complications in which motor nerve fibers, the cells that govern skeletal muscle function such as moving, inhaling, talking, and eating, are destroyed. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, degenerative bulbar palsy, primary lateral sclerosis, regressive muscular atrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, Kennedy’s syndrome, and post-polio condition are all included in this category.
Signals or actions from brain cells (UMNs) are usually sent to neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord (LMNs) and then to muscles throughout the body. Upper motor neurons (UMNs) tell lower motor neurons how to move their muscles.
Muscles enervate and decrease in size when they cannot receive the signal from lower motor neurons (muscle atrophy or wasting). Muscles may also begin to twitch on their own. These spasms (fasciculations) can be observed and felt just beneath the skin’s surface.
Muscle firmness (spasticity) and hyperactive responses can occur when the lower motor neurons are unable to receive the signal from the upper motor neurons. Voluntary movements may become slow and challenging as a result of this. MND patients may lose their ability to move or regulate other movements over time.
What Classification Do They Have?
MNDs are classed based on whether the failure of function (deterioration) is hereditary (given back through family genes) or sporadic (no family medical history) and whether it impacts the upper motor neurons, lower motor neurons, or both. These diseases are frequently passed on in one of many ways:
To be affected by an autosomal assertive disorder, an individual only needs to inherit one copy of the mutated gene from one parent who has the disorder. A kid of an affected individual has a 50% risk of inheriting the faulty gene and developing the condition.
Autosomal recessive means that each parent must pass on a copy of the faulty gene to the child. These parents are most likely symptomless (without symptoms of the disease). Multiple people in the same generation are often affected by autosomal recessive illnesses (e.g siblings).
When a parent has a faulty gene on one of her X chromosomes, she can pass the ailment on to her boys through X-linked inheritance. Males inherit their mother’s X chromosome and their father’s Y chromosome. A son’s chance of obtaining the defective X chromosome and suffering the condition is 50%. Each parent gives a girl an X chromosome. Women have a 50% chance of receiving their mother’s faulty X chromosome and their father’s safe X chromosome, making them symptomatic transmitters of the mutation.
Who Is In Danger?
Adults and children are both affected by MNDs. MNDs in children, such as spinal muscular atrophy, is usually caused by specific gene abnormalities. Symptoms might emerge at any age, from birth through early childhood. MNDs in adulthood are more likely to be sporadic, which means they arise without a familial history. Complaints usually begin after the age of 50. However, the condition can start at any age.
What Are The Causes Of Motor Neuron Disorders?
Although some MNDs are hereditary, the causes of the majority of MNDs are unknown. Ecological, chemical, viral, and genetic variables may have a role in developing sporadic or non-inherited MNDs.
Cannabis For Motor Neuron Disease Medication
The findings demonstrate that persons with motor neuron disease had less stiffness and pain after a 6-week follow-up than those given placebos for the first time. Patients in the trial were given first-line anti-spasticity medications before being given an oral spray (nabiximols) comprising an equal amount of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol THC and cannabidiol (THC-CBD) produced from the cannabis sativa plant.
While there are several medications available to treat spasticity, there is no proof of their efficacy, and they do not adequately improve symptoms in all people. Furthermore, they have the potential to cause adverse side effects such as increased muscle weakness and exhaustion.
The Cannabis Sativa Plant
Spasticity is a usual symptom of motor neuron disease. The condition is a fundamental component of primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), which develops more slowly. In patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), it happens to various degrees, the most severe and frequent form of motor neuron disease.
In individuals with different neurological problems, the previous study has revealed that cannabinoids may have beneficial effects such as sedation, pain relief, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Furthermore, cannabinoids have been approved in several countries for the symptomatic therapy of spasticity in numerous sclerosis and are becoming more widely recognized as a viable pain management option.
Using Cannabis Sativa Extracts To Alleviate Symptoms Of Motor Neuron Illness.
When comparing the THC-CBD spray group to the placebo classification, the researchers discovered that spasticity was dramatically reduced in the THC-CBD spray group.
Generally, the THC-CBD spray was well absorbed, with mild to moderate side effects that are typical of cannabinoids, such as asthenia (weariness), somnolence (sleepiness), vertigo, and nausea.
Furthermore, researchers have stated that more study is required before authorization to use parts of the cannabis sativa for medical therapy of spasticity in individuals with motor neuron disease symptoms or who struggle with the illness.
Conclusion
Even though this may be discouraging to MND patients, work on cannabis as a cure for the disease is still ongoing. The revaluation of cannabis-based medications, enabling them to be prescribed in the UK by an authorized clinician, will probably ensure that. If evidence demonstrating an advantageous use of cannabis to treat MND becomes available in the future, it will be more readily available to those who wish to use it.