Cannabis and the Brain

Dr. Peter Arnett, Immediate Past President of NAN, hosts the podcast this week and welcomes Dr. Igor Grant, who will be talking with us today about cannabis. Dr. Grant is a Distinguished Professor and Director of the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program and the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at UCSD who has served as Chair of the UCSD Department of Psychiatry from 2014 to 2019. He's a neuropsychiatrist who graduated from the University of British Columbia School of Medicine and received specialty training in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, and additional training in neurology at the Institute of Neurology in London. Dr. Grant's academic interests focus on the effects of various diseases on the brain and behavior, emphasizing neuropsychological translational studies in HIV and drugs of abuse. He has contributed to approximately 800 scholarly publications and is the principal investigator of several NIH studies. In addition, NAN has recognized Dr. Grant with the Nelson Butters Award for research contributions to clinical neuropsychology and the Distinguished Lifetime Contribution to Neuropsychology Award. Dr. Grant is the Past President of the International Neuropsychological Society, otherwise known as INS, which honored him with the Paul Satz INS Career Mentoring Award. In addition to all these accomplishments, he is also the Founding Editor of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, otherwise known as JINTS.

In this episode, Dr. Grant tells us about the history of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research and what it learned about the specific diseases or conditions that can be aided by cannabis. He provides insight into anecdotal evidence that THC was useful in diabetes and HIV/AIDS patients for relieving neuropathic pain. Dr. Grant, however, expresses concern over the long-term durability of this effect because the studies were relatively short-term. He comments on the proportion of THC used in different interventions, the regulations surrounding cannabis, which is considered a Schedule I drug, and gives an example of guidelines a typical doctor should follow when deciding to use cannabis.

Dr. Grant then talks about the benefits and risks of medical cannabis, sharing its impact on cognitive function if one already has a dementing disorder and preexisting anxiety or depression. He sheds light on his ongoing research and funding sources for research and elaborates studies of cannabidiol on people with early psychotic symptoms. Dr. Grant reveals that CBD and THC may help in breaking addiction. Other studies Dr. Grant delves into include one to help people with sleeping disorders and autism, a NIDA -supported study looking at kids experimenting with drugs from age 9 and following them through teen and early childhood, the dynamics and effects of abstinence, and the impact of cannabis on driving safety. Finally, he addresses gaps in our knowledge of cannabis that need to be pursued and impediments to research and discoveries in cannabis.

Episode Highlights:

• The history and work of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research
• 
  
• Diseases or conditions that can be aided by cannabis
• 
  
• Benefits of marijuana to patients with HIV/AIDs and diabetes
• 
  
• The role of THC in managing neuropathic pain
• 
  
• Cannabis regulations
• 
  
• Guidelines for doctors to determine whether to prescribe cannabis
• 
  
• Risks and benefits of medical cannabis
• 
  
• The impact of THC on the cognitive function of a person with a dementing disorder
• 
  
• The dynamics and effects of taking THC with preexisting anxiety and depression
• 
  
• Dr. Grant's ongoing research
• 
  
• Sources of funding for research
• 
  
• A study on cannabidiol in people with early psychotic symptoms
• 
  
• How...