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Marihuana and Medicine pp 619–629Cite as

Marihuana: Effects on Neuronal Excitability and Seizure Threshold

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Abstract

In the late 19th century, British neurologists found that cannabis had a limited role in epilepsy therapy. Cannabinoid receptors are found in the brainstem, limbic and neocortical areas that modulate seizure activity. The recent studies of the effects of THC, CBD, and related cannabinoids in animal models of epilepsy reveal that (1) the effects vary significantly in different models, in different species, and for the different derivatives; (2) the mechanisms by which the cannabinoids exert their anti-or proconvulsant effects is not well-defined; and (3) the effects of acute administration (e.g., increasing seizure threshold) may be followed, in certain models, by a rebound effect (e.g., decreasing seizure threshold).

No well-controlled studies have evaluated cannabinoids in the treatment of epilepsy patients. However, clinical anecdotes and single case reports suggest that marijuana may reduce seizure frequency or, conversely may provoke seizure activity in select cases, while in most instances it has no significant effect on seizure activity. Several clinical studies have examined the efficacy of CBD on seizure frequency. These studies found either some reduction in seizure frequency or no statistically significant reduction compared to placebo. The few epidemiological studies that have been conducted suggest that marijuana use may protect against seizures induced by illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine. The limited evidence therefore suggest that marijuana and the cannabinoids may have antiepileptic effects in man, but these effects may be specific to partial or tonic-clonic seizures.

Keywords

  • NMDA Receptor
  • Seizure Activity
  • Seizure Frequency
  • Neuronal Excitability
  • Seizure Threshold

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Authors
  1. Elisabeth Gordon
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  2. Orrin Devinsky
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, New York University School of Medicine, USA

    Gabriel G. Nahas MD, PhD, DSc & Kenneth M. Sutin MD, MS & 

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Oxford University, USA

    David Harvey PhD

  3. Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Uppsala, Sweden

    Stig Agurell PhD, PharmD, DSc

  4. NYU School of Medicine, USA

    Nicholas Pace MD & Robert Cancro MD & 

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Gordon, E., Devinsky, O. (1999). Marihuana: Effects on Neuronal Excitability and Seizure Threshold. In: Nahas, G.G., Sutin, K.M., Harvey, D., Agurell, S., Pace, N., Cancro, R. (eds) Marihuana and Medicine. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-710-9_61

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-710-9_61

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