Epilepsy results from abnormal and/or irregular patterns of electrical activity within the brain, it begs the question, what brain changes in a refractory epileptic individual can be notice while expose to EEG under CBD influence? Also, if seizures continue to occur, even after CBD has been administered, do seizures appear as generalize or as focal, when analyzed with EEG? Many portions of the brain may be disrupted by a single seizure, creating a challenging problem for epilepsy researchers due to the difficulty of accurately pinpointing potential relationships between abnormal changes in the brain and specific behavioral deficits.
Since epileptic seizures vary both in intensity and frequency; perhaps different parts of the brain may be disrupted or “electro-jacked” during the unfoldment of an epileptic seizure. Some seizures can be violent while others can be very subtle. Perhaps seizures that are violent and often may result in an individual’s temporary lost of consciousness are due to major brain systems such as the limbic system (involved in learning, memory and emotion) or the basal ganglia (involved in movement or motor functions) becoming electrically disrupted as a result of multiple and random electrical miss firing in the brain neural circuitry, creating an overcharged electronic environment that is too strong to be independently conducted through specific axons, perhaps diverging and amplifying electrical current chaotically permeating the brain, and thus producing violent seizures.
What if epileptic seizures that are more subtle perhaps are the result of a specific brain part such as the hippocampus and not an entire system being disturbed? Are the abonormal patterns of electrical activity within the brain observed during seizures due to refractory epilepsy the result of a collective or individual part of the brain becoming electrically disrupted, and do these brain parts become “electro-jacked” in a simultaneous or progressive manner? Even though seizures may vary in both intensity and frequency, can there be a common origin within the brain that is the sole cause of this electronic neural malfunction? Perhaps finding the origin will lead to one day entirely eliminating epileptic seizures in our society.
Source: http://neurosciencenews.com/cannabis-compound-seizures-8569
There is no doubt about it, CBD and Marijuana are highly controversial topics. However, as you stated in your post, there were beneficial patterns from medical record analysis of patients. Epilepsy has been and is currently an ongoing problem that about 3 million American citizens have to face. Since there are so many people suffering from this brain disorder, it begs the question of why are we not doing more? I found it interesting how you brought up the fact that one in three seizures will not be able to be controlled by current synthetic medication. One's subjective opinion about marijuana should be set aside while trying to decide if CBD would be a valid option to treat epilepsy. Because of the controversy and backlash, it is somewhat difficult to do research on Cannabis, however recently we have made more advancements toward research on the drug. As you stated, epileptic seizures can vary in intensity as well as frequency, and could be associated in different regions of the brain. While CBD might not prove to be a long term solution, it can at least suppress some of the effects if not all that come from epilepsy. It can be used for the time being until we are able to identify where and why seizures occur in that person.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think this was a quality post describing the potential for Cannabidiol in treating patients with epilepsy. Epilepsy can be debilitating for patients, especially if they are the one third that are unable to be treated by current medicine like you stated. While the topic of Marijuana and its health related benefits have been controversial in the past, I think we are becoming more accepting of it as a society. I liked how you mentioned what some patients experience after a severe seizure and what part of the brain is most likely affected. It makes sense that these patients loose consciousness after a severe seizure due to the impact on their limbic system and basal ganglia.
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest concerns with using cannabis as a treatment for any illness is the side effects it can cause to the patient’s health. Not only do the seizures themselves harm the person, but the medications that are used in an attempt to help can cause even more damage. Side effects vary from dizziness and vertigo to blurred vision and complete loss of bodily control. A lot of these side effects sound like the symptoms that they are trying to treat in the first place. Like you stated in your post, a third receive no benefit from the conventional treatments, so they are still suffering. Many with little hope for a cure after trying numerous drugs and therapies to no avail. Additionally, the majority of these medications can also lead to suicidal thoughts or actions. Although cannabis treatment can sometimes worsen depression, it could indirectly help by reducing the seizures because if the seizures are lessening in number and/or in severity it is likely that the depression would also lessen. Multiple chronic illnesses, epilepsy included, are correlated with elevated levels of depression. This should be no surprise. So if the illness is more controlled and less severe, the patient can have hope of a more normal existence. If cannabis treatment would help an epileptic patient with even some of their seizures it would improve their health in numerous ways: mental, physical, and emotional. Personally, I think the pros outweigh the cons, but there will be plenty of debate and many more studies before anything is decided.
ReplyDeleteIt's important I think to analyze the neurological effects of CBD when considering it for use in humans. CBD affects multiple systems in the nervous system including the endocannabinoid, dopamine, serotonin, and opioid systems. Consequently, this substance produces an immense range of effects on the body which just by probability alone increases the risk of having a negative or unwanted effect. On top of the neurological nature of the drug, it's also an extreme controversy in today's political talk involving the legality of producing/consuming/researching marijuana. While the controversy mostly is focused on marijuana's psychoactive substance, THC, due to CBD's inclusion in the mix of substances found within marijuana, it also faces the same scrutiny. This all makes for a very interesting story when a study such as this comes along showing signs towards CBD having beneficial effects for those with epilepsy. The hard hitting effects of epilepsy, like most neurological disorders, are what some would consider difficult to even function with. In addition, considering that 1/3 of epileptics show no signs of improvement with prescription medication, like was said in this blog, the discovery of a drug that can reliably treat this disorder is a pretty big deal. CBD being that possible miracle drug would be great if it didn't happen to be associated with marijuana. The controversy of marijuana could possibly hurt those who desperately need treatment and could possibly benefit from this non-psychoactive drug. Once researchers are able to reliably and legally obtain and research CBD, then conclusions should be drawn to whether or not this drug should be prescribed or consumed.
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