CBD & THC Combined Helps Treat Tourette Syndrome Symptoms, New Study Finds

A new clinical study has demonstrated that medicinal cannabis shows beneficial results in treating the grave symptoms of Tourette Syndrome, reported The National Tribune.

Researchers from the University of Sydney's Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics and Wesley Research Institute led by neuropsychiatrist Dr. Philip Mosley and Professor Iain McGregor found a statistically and clinically meaningful decrease in motor and vocal tics in patients that used medical marijuana.

Preliminary findings suggest potential benefits from using cannabis products with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content and that combining cannabidiol (CBD) might help reduce the associated side effects and increase safety when using THC.

The Study

Researchers found that THC and CBD can be linked to a decrease in tic frequency and a reduction in the severity of impairment related to tics, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Published in the New England Journal of Medicine: Evidence, the double-blind study included 22 adult participants, out of which eight were female, with severe Tourette symptoms. Over the course of two six-week blocks, patients received both medicinal cannabis oil and a placebo.

Mosley said their research utilized a new methodological approach. "This is the first rigorous and methodical trial of medicinal cannabis to be undertaken in a sufficiently large group of people to make definitive conclusions about its effectiveness," he said.

Mosley also explained a mechanism behind the new scientific discovery.

"Cannabis interacts with specific receptors on nerve cells in the brain that are part of the body's own 'endocannabinoid' system," he said. "Effectively, stimulation of these receptors tightens a leaky filter that now stops the involuntary movements and vocalizations from getting out and being expressed by our participants."

Prior Research

Meanwhile, the new findings from Australian researchers build on previous research published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research last year.

The study titled "Use of Medical Cannabis in Patients with Gilles de la Tourette's Syndrome in a Real-World Setting" assessed patients' symptoms immediately prior to and following six months of cannabis treatment.

The experts found "statistically significant improvement in quality of life, employment status, and [a] reduction in the number of medications was found, with a statistically significant number of patients reporting improvements in OCD and anxiety symptoms after six months of treatment."

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