Pain
Our Research
Cannabidiol for聽chronic neuropathic pain caused by spinal cord injury (recruiting)
This research project will investigate the chronic pain that commonly occurs after spinal cord injury.
Using advanced brain imaging and other assessments, the project aims to:
(a) examine if 6-week treatment with CBD can reduce neuropathic pain聽
(b) to better understand the specific changes occurring in the brain after SCI that lead to the development of chronic neuropathic pain.
This is a collaboration between the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, the聽Brain and Mind Centre聽and the聽School of Medical Sciences聽at聽the University of Sydney.
Chief Investigator:听Professor Luke Henderson聽(Brain and Mind Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney)
Research Team:听聽(Lambert Initiative, University of Sydney),聽Dr Elizabeth Cairns (Lambert Initiative, University of Sydney), and聽聽(Prince of Wales hospital).
Trial Coordinator: Anastasia Suraev (Lambert Initiative, University of Sydney)
PhD students: Rebecca Robertson and Fernando Tinoco (Brain and Mind Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney)
If you are interested in participating in this study, please call 0439 804 551 or email (scan_study@sydney.edu.au).
You can also register your interest via our online pre-screening survey:
Cannabis in a mouse neuropathic pain model (completed, 2018)
Read the full publication .
Cannabis and THC have efficacy against neuropathic pain, however, this is hampered by their side effects. It has been suggested that co-administration with CBD might enhance the analgesic actions of THC and minimise its deleterious side effects. We examined the basis for this phytocannabinoid interaction in a mouse model of neuropathic pain.
Results: We found that THC and CBD reduced neuropathic pain. CBD had no adverse side effects. The 1:1 combination of THC and CBD synergistically reduced neuropathic pain with 100-fold greater efficacy than predicted from an additive interaction. THC also synergistically enhanced the efficacy of current first-line neuropathic pain treatments gabapentin and duloxetine.
This was a collaboration between the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics at the University of Sydney; the Kolling Institute; Royal North Shore Hospital; the Pain Management Research Institute at the University of Sydney, and the Northern Clinical School at the University of Sydney.
Research Team:听 (University of Sydney); , (Lambert Initiative, University of Sydney)