Grant: Catalyst Grant: Cannabis Research in Urgent Priority Areas

Many Canadians over the age of 65 are affected by Alzheimer disease (AD) or some related form of dementia, and the number of persons affected is expected to increase as our population continues to age. There is no cure for AD and as the disease worsens, the behavior of the patient can worsen. For example, they often develop mood disorders, such as depression, and can become agitated, anxious or aggressive. Certain antidepressant and antipsychotic medications have been used to manage these symptoms, but they are largely ineffective and can also have adverse side effects. In fact, some can actually worsen brain function in individuals with AD. There are a few studies that show that medical marijuana (e.g. extracts from the Cannabis plant) can decrease symptoms of anxiety. This Cannabis extract, called cannabidiol (CBD), does not cause the 'high' that is associated with the better-known Cannabis extract tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). We propose to study the metabolism of CBD in healthy adults. Once we understand such basic facts about CBD, we propose to test CBD in a limited number of patients with AD. Two of the local long-term care facilities are very interested in helping us determine whether CBD can be used to treat agitation and anxiety in their AD patients as their current options are often ineffective. Any information we obtain from these studies will be useful for any other care facility or institution with similar patients and with similar research interests.