ABSTRACT: Pre-extinction administration of ∆9-tetrahydrocannibinol (THC) facilitates recall of extinction in healthy humans, and evidence from animal studies suggest that this likely involves via enhancement of the cannabinoid system within the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and hippocampus (HIPP), brain structures critical to fear extinction. However, the effect of ... Continue Reading
PTSD
Oliver Sacks Explored the Brain with Legal LSD—Before Drug War
LSD helped Dr. Oliver Sacks be more empathic. It was legal then. Is the Drug War standing in the way of researching therapeutic benefits of psychedelics? This post from Drug Policy Alliance revisits the impact of drug war on drug education and research. What if Oliver Sacks had been born 20 years later? Would he have been able to explore new avenues of neurochemical and ... Continue Reading
Arizona Achieves a Medical Marijuana Milestone of 80,000 People
As of the end of July, more than 80,000 people in Arizona are qualified to legally possess, grow, or sell medical marijuana. This post from Phoenix New Times reports how the tally has seen a steady rise from the time the DHS began issuing registration cards in spring 2011. Arizona has reached a marijuana-legalization milestone, with more than 80,000 people now qualified to ... Continue Reading
STUDY: Ganaxolone improves behavioral deficits in a mouse model of post-traumatic stress disorder
ABSTRACT: Allopregnanolone and its equipotent stereoisomer, pregnanolone (together termed ALLO), are neuroactive steroids that positively and allosterically modulate the action of gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA) at GABAAreceptors. Levels of ALLO are reduced in the cerebrospinal fluid of female premenopausal patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a severe, ... Continue Reading
PTSD Not Eligible for Medical Marijuana Treatment in Colorado
PTSD has been left out of the list of medical conditions that are eligible for medical marijuana treatment in Colorado. This post from The Daily Chronic reports that Colorado health officials have rejected the use of pot for treating PTSD. Citing insignificant research, Colorado health officials voted Wednesday against adding post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of ... Continue Reading