Pain

Cannabidiol for 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 

(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 Brain and Mind Centre and the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Sydney.

Chief Investigator: Professor Luke Henderson (Brain and Mind Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney)

Research Team: Professor Iain McGregor (Lambert Initiative, University of Sydney), Dr Elizabeth Cairns (Lambert Initiative, University of Sydney), and Dr Sachin Shetty (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: https://bit.ly/SCAN_study

Cannabis in a mouse neuropathic pain model (completed, 2018)

Read the full publication here.

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: Dr Chris Vaughan (University of Sydney); Professor Iain McGregor, Associate Professor Jonathon Arnold (Lambert Initiative, University of Sydney)