Use of cannabis in the improvement in the unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale score of Parkinson’s disease: A meta analysis

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND@#Cannabis, the source of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychotropic compound, and cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychoactive chemical with potential therapeutic properties, has been widely used as a psychoactive drug, medicinal drug, or industrial hemp. Cannabinoids exert their effect in the brain mainly by interacting with two types of receptors: CB1 and CB2 receptors, which are currently being studied for its possible therapeutic effects for the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson’s Disease.@*METHODOLOGY@#Databases searched were PubMed via National Center for biotechnology Information, CINAHL, Medline, Academic Search, Biomedical Reference collection, via EBSCOhost, and Cochrane Library. Queries were sent to local institutions for unpublished studies compatible with the criteria for study eligibility. Participants’ characteristics, study design, intervention features, outcome variables, reported effects, and study quality were retrieved. Random effects model was used because heterogeneity was significant.@*RESULTS@#The analysis of the four clinical trials included in the study showed that Cannabis and its derivatives’ effects on the mean motor UPDRS showed statistically significant decrease.@*CONCLUSION@#Cannabis and its derivatives may have an effect in the short-term symptomatic treatment of Parkinson’s Disease, although controlled studies with larger samples must be done before any conclusions may be made.