Summary: A new research reveals that dronabinol, a chemical form of THC, can reduce anger in Alzheimer’s people by 30 %. Unlike recent drugs, dronabinol showed fewer side effects, such as psychosis or convulsions, making it a safer option.
Researchers found that 75 patients in an eight-year clinical trial who were enrolled in the study had important anger improvements without adverse effects. This finding raises questions about better understanding Alzheimer’s symptoms and might lessen the strain on caretakers.
Important Facts:
- Dronabinol reduced anger in Alzheimer’s people by 30 %.
- In contrast to conventional procedures, it showed fewer side effects.
- The research included 75 individuals over eight years.
Origin: Johns Hopkins Medicine
In a study led by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine, researchers show that a supplement form of the medicine dronabinol, an FDA-approved artificial version of drug’s key ingredient, THC, reduces agitation in people with Alzheimer’s by an average of 30 %.
The experts claim that dronabinol produced comparable soothing effects without side effects like delirium or seizures compared to current unrest treatments like antipsychotics.
Effects of the eight-year clinical trial were presented at the International Psychogeriatric Association conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sept. 26.
” These new results represent eight years of work dedicated to people who have Alzheimer’s as well as their caretakers”, says , Paul Rosenberg, M. D., professor of psychiatry and behavioural science at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and co-principal analyst for this study.
We are pleased to make good progress in treating these people because it is one of the most agonizing signs of Alzheimer’s memory.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the United States, with an estimated 6.7 million circumstances in Americans age 65 and older, according to the , National Institutes of Health.
This amount is expected to increase to 13.8 million by 2060. Agitation is difficult to manage. It is defined as excessive motor activity ( walking or repetitive actions ), verbal anger and/or physical aggression. An estimated 40 % of individuals with Alzheimer’s create agitation.
In moderate to severe scenarios, some form of treatment is usually required to manage symptoms and relieve caregivers. However, gentle anger can occasionally be moderated by behavioral intervention.
” It is the anger, not the memory lost, that usually drives people with dementia to the emergency department and long-term-care services”, says Brent Forester, M. D., psychiatrist-in-chief and president of the Department of Psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center and co-principal analyst on the research.
” Dronabinol has the potential to reduce health care costs and have a significant, positive effect on caregivers ‘ mental and physical health,” according to Dronabinol.
In the new study, researchers recruited 75 patients with severe Alzheimer’s agitation across five clinical sites, including 35 admitted to The Johns Hopkins Hospital between March 2017 and May 2024.
Patients had to have a formal clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and exhibit at least one significant agitation symptom for at least two weeks in order to qualify. Prior to treatment, patients were tested for agitation using the Pittsburgh Agitation Scale ( PAS ) and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Agitation/Aggression subscale ( NPI-C).
The PAS scores agitation from 0 to 4, with 4 being the most agitated. The NPI-C provides a brief assessment of neuropsychiatric symptoms including delusions, hallucinations, anxiety/depression and other factors. At the start of the trial, caregivers were able to obtain baseline scores.
Participants were then randomly chosen to receive either 5 milligrams of dronabinol in the form of a placebo twice per week for three weeks. They were then retested using the PAS and NPI-C.
Results from the dronabinol group show an average PAS starting value of 9.68 and an end value of 7.26 after three weeks, which is a 30 % drop over the scores in the placebo group, which did not change. Additionally, dronabinol was well tolerated by patients compared to current treatments for agitation.
” Results like this are encouraging. We are delighted that the FDA-approved dronabinol was potently effective and appeared safe for the treatment of agitation, Rosenberg says.
” This adds another tool in our efforts to improve the care of our loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease”.
The researchers say they plan longer-term studies of dronabinol for Alzheimer’s disease, as well as expanded sample sizes. Additionally, they hope to continue to look into other ways that medical marijuana can help both the patient and the caregiver.
The psychoactive main ingredient in cannabis ( marijuana ), dronabinol is a synthetic form of THC. The drug is currently prescribed to treat nausea and vomiting in those undergoing cancer chemotherapy and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1985 to treat patients with HIV/AIDS.
The researchers warn that the results of their most recent study are not intended to promote or inform the use of other medical marijuana products made in 38 states and the District of Columbia.
Halima Amjad, Haroon Burhanullah, and Milap Nowrangi are co-investigators at McLean Hospital, James Wilkins and David Harper are also co-investigators, according to Marc Agronin at Miami Jewish Health, and Haroon Burhanullah and Milap Nowrangi at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Funding: The National Institute of Aging at the National Institutes of Health provided funding for the study.  ,
About this Alzheimer’s disease and neuropharmacology research news
Author: Kristen Crocker
Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine
Contact: Kristen Crocker – Johns Hopkins Medicine
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Research that is original: The findings will be presented at the conference of the International Psychogeriatric Association.
