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Anticonvulsant-Convulsant Effects of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol

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The Therapeutic Potential Of Marihuana

Abstract

It is fairly well established that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC), the major psychoactive constituent of marihuana, has anticonvulsant properties. A summary of the reported effects of delta-9-THC in laboratory animals for a variety of experimentally induced seizure paradigms is presented in Table 1. In general, behavioral seizures in rodents, frogs, and cats, and electrographic seizures in rats and cats produced by electrical stimulation are prevented by delta-9-THC. Additionally, auditory, tactile (reflex), and in some cases pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) induced seizures in rodents are also blocked by the cannabinoid.

NOTE: The present studies were supported, in part, by National Institute of Mental Health grant #MH23414 and National Institute on Drug Abuse grant #DA01448. We thank Dr. Monique Braude of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (ADAMHA) for the delta-9-THC and Ms. Lynne Rabe for her technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, Tucson, Arizona, USA

    Paul Consroe, Byron Jones, Hugh Laird II & Jeff Reinking

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  1. Paul Consroe
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  2. Byron Jones
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  3. Hugh Laird II
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  4. Jeff Reinking
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Sidney Cohen

  2. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Rockville, Maryland, USA

    Richard C. Stillman

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© 1976 Plenum Publishing Corporation

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Consroe, P., Jones, B., Laird, H., Reinking, J. (1976). Anticonvulsant-Convulsant Effects of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol. In: Cohen, S., Stillman, R.C. (eds) The Therapeutic Potential Of Marihuana. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-4286-1_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-4286-1_27

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