endocanniboids

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droolmonster

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1176332/

This is just one of the articles I've found relating to the connection between the endocannabinoid system and epilepsy. I find the real info interesting. Not just the weed connection, because the article says that it's been used for centuries, it's a well known old wives tale that weed is good for epilepsy, and now here's some scientists saying absolutely.

I have idiopathic epilepsy. No known cause. I think the seizures started in fourth grade. But I started having grand mals around puberty. I have a lot of them. I'd say once a month, possibly twice, although when I was really high I once went two months without one--I mean really really high. I was still taking my other drugs though. I also have the small ones, I pretty much start to stutter and lose my place in time. I've had amnesia, been in status epileptus, and cut my head open, and doctors can't tell me why.

But this endocannabinoid thing gives me some hope. I think the scientists are on the right track. This is the hypothesis I'm betting on for the cause of seizures. Now the only question is how the system is messing up. Anandamide, CB1 receptors, 2AG, other ligands possibly. I doubt it has to do with CB2, that's peripheral and immune system.

So, what do you people think? There are other theories, but I can't just think of them offhand, I think one is a genetic cause. But that's easy, because we are our genes, after all.

Do you think your endocannabinoid system is faulty?

(considering how regular AED's have messed me up, I find it offensive that they want to take the high out of cannabis. no fun at all are they?)
 
Once again, I was posing the question of whether the endocannabinoid system is responsible for seizures! The scientific basis!
If you take CB1 receptors out of mice they start to have seizures.
Studies shows differences in endocannabinoids in epileptics compared to normal people.
The focus of my question is the brain, not the plant.

Ok, how's this, is your brain weed working? Brain weed supposed to protect and modulate neural synapses.

I really don't care whether you want to smoke or not.
 
I think it's important to make the distinction between exogenous cannabinoids (pot, more or less) and the endocannabinoid system (lipids inherent in the human body). In addition to the neuroprotective aspect of endocannabinoids which are referred to in the study link, another interesting feature is that, in the adult brain, the endocannabinoid system facilitates neurogenesis -- i.e. it helps to grow new neurons. That's pretty cool!
 
Now you're getting it. That's what I wanted to discuss, not marijuana, that's pharmaceutical, not neurobiological.
 
There's an endocannabinoid-related drug in Canada and Europe for folks with MS -- it treats tremor, and muscle spasms. Since tremors and spasms are aspects of seizure disorders, this gives hope that endocannabinoid medications will help epilepsy too.

According to some animal studies, the endocannabinoid system in the hippocampus helps to decrease glutamate levels. Since glutamate plays a huge role in seizure activity, this is another area where endocannabinoid drugs should help.
 
According to this article, my endocannabinoid system is not functioning properly, since I have a damaged hippocampus.

http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/28/12/2976

And droolmonster, like you, my seizures are idiopathic, no known cause. They started when I was 22 years old. I've had CP's, TC's, been through severe burns, due to a seizure, many meds, brain surgery, memory loss, and more seizures after brain surgery! The doctors cannot tell me why, either.
 
yeah, it says that the enzyme that synthesizes 2-AG is reduced by 60% and that the CB1s have one third of their control value in epileptics. The CB1s aren't as dense, particularly on glutamatergic axon terminals.

very interesting, thanks Cint.

I wonder what would happen if you injected someone with CB1?
 
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