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Cannabis clinical trials at UCSD

7 in progress, 5 open to eligible people

Showing trials for
  • Brain Mechanisms Supporting Cannabis-induced Pain Relief

    open to eligible people ages 21-65

    The American Academy of Pain Medicine has labeled pain as a "silent epidemic" due to its staggering costs to society (over $500 billion/year) and widespread prevalence (affects over 100 million Americans). Thus, it is imperative to test and validate cost-effective pain therapies. To this extent, cannabis is characterized as one of the most promising therapies to treat a wide spectrum of pain conditions. However, the clinical applicability of cannabis-based pain therapies has been limited due to lacking mechanistic characterization in human-focused studies. Of critical importance, the neural mechanisms supporting cannabis induced pain relief remain unknown. The primary objective of the proposed pilot study is to identify the brain mechanisms supporting the direct alleviation of acutely evoked pain through vaporized cannabis.

    La Jolla, California and other locations

  • Cannabis Effects on Antiretroviral Therapy Pharmacokinetics and Neurotoxicity

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    This study will address whether cannabis affects antiretroviral therapy (ART) drug concentrations, mood, and thinking. The project will have two phases. Phase 1 is an observational study, in which 120 people will be assessed to evaluate the effects of chronic cannabis use on ART drug concentrations, mood, and thinking. In Phase 2, the study will administer cannabis (or placebo) to 40 people to examine its acute effects on ART drug concentrations.

    San Diego, California

  • Cannabis Use, Cognition, and the Endocannabinoid System in HIV

    open to eligible people ages 18-65

    Understanding how co-morbidities in persons with HIV (PWH) such as substance use affect risk-taking, decision-making, and other cognitive behaviors is important given implications for everyday functioning and transmission risk. The high prevalence of cannabis use in PWH, medicinally and recreationally, may indicate disease severity, impart therapeutic benefits, or adverse consequences. In fact, cannabis is recommended to those with HIV to alleviate nausea, improve appetite, relieve pain, and lift mood. To-date, the consequences of cannabis use in PWH remain unclear as do potential interactions with HIV treatments. In healthy participants, heavy cannabis use is associated with cognitive deficits e.g., risky decision-making, response disinhibition and inattention, but pro-cognitive effects in PWH may exist at mild use levels due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-excitotoxic properties. Furthermore, little has been done to determine the effects of cannabis use on the endocannabinoid (EC) system in general or in PWH. This study will determine the effects of the two primary cannabis constituents (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC], cannabidiol [CBD]) vs. placebo on risky decision-making, response inhibition, reward learning, temporal perception, and motivation, plus EC and homovanillic acid (HVA; a surrogate for dopamine activity) levels in HIV+ and HIV- subjects. Participants with infrequent cannabis use will undergo baseline cognitive testing and biomarker assays with antiretrovirals (ART) use quantified. They will be randomized to a 5-day course of either THC, CBD, or placebo and return for follow-up testing and re-assaying of ECs and HVA levels.

    San Diego, California

  • Cannabidiol and Tetrahydrocannabinol on Microbiome and Neuroinflammation in HIV

    open to eligible people ages 21-70

    This study has the potential to contribute to a more complete understanding of the independent and combined effects of cannabis use and HIV on the brain and on inflammation. Such knowledge may inform future strategies for treating brain disease and inflammation. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups, both of which will receive the same treatment in a different order over a period of about 6 weeks. The visits include physical examinations, blood tests, and other procedures designed to monitor subject safety and measure the effects of the study drug.

    San Diego, California

  • Cannabis on Cognition and Endocannabinoid Levels in Bipolar Disorder Patients and Healthy Volunteers

    open to eligible people ages 18-50

    Cannabis use is associated with younger age at onset of bipolar disorder, poor outcome, and more frequent manic episodes, but the effects of cannabis on cognition are less clear. Contrary to reports among non-psychiatric patients, cannabis may improve cognition among people with bipolar disorder. Nevertheless, no study to date has systematically tested the acute effects of cannabis on cognition in bipolar disorder. Therefore, the investigators propose to determine the effects of oral cannabinoid administration on cognitive domains relevant to bipolar disorder, e.g., arousal, decision making, cognitive control, inhibition, and temporal perception (sense of timing). In addition, the investigators will evaluate different doses of the two major components of cannabis, cannabidiol and ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and compare them to placebo on these neurocognitive measures. The investigators will also test the effects of acute exposure to cannabinoids on cerebrospinal levels of anandamide and homovanillic acid - markers of endocannabinoid and dopamine activity in the brain, respectively. These studies will provide information that effectively bridges the fields of addiction and general psychiatry, informing treatment development for co-morbid substance abuse and psychiatric disorders.

    San Diego, California

  • Inhaled Cannabis for Acute Migraine Treatment

    Sorry, accepting new patients by invitation only

    This pilot crossover study will evaluate 3 different potencies of inhaled cannabis (2.5%, 5%, and 10%) and inhaled placebo cannabis for the acute treatment of migraine.

    La Jolla, California

  • Cannabis Derivatives in Neuropathic Pain

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    Veterans with diabetes are more likely than diabetic civilians to develop disabling chronic diabetic neuropathic pain (CDNP). Research on frontline treatments for CDNP (enhanced glycemic control, exercise, pharmacological agents), shows inconsistent outcomes and dissatisfaction among Veterans. Veterans and clinicians have shown significant interest in cannabis derivatives (THC, CBD) for neuropathic pain control, but there are no well-controlled trials guiding expectations for benefit and adverse outcomes associated with cannabis for CDNP. Because Veterans are likely to present with pain and pain-related polymorbidity significantly differing from that of civilians, a well-structured clinical trial of cannabinoids for Veterans with CDNP is vital. The present phase II study will offer the first evidence describing the potential benefits and adverse effects of cannabinoids for CDNP in Veterans using a four-arm, double-blind, multisite randomized trial comparing THC, CBD, THC+CBD and placebo on neuropathic pain outcomes.

    San Diego, California and other locations

Our lead scientists for Cannabis research studies include .

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