This review finds no evidence that cannabinoids are effective in the improvement of disturbed behaviour in dementia or in the treatment of other symptoms of dementia .
BACKGROUND Following the discovery of an endogenous cannabinoid system and the identification of specific cannabinoid receptors in the central nervous system , much work has been done to investigate the main effects of these compounds .
There is increasing evidence that the cannabinoid system may regulate neurodegenerative processes such as excessive glutamate production , oxidative stress and neuroinflammation .
Neurodegeneration is a feature common to the various types of dementia and this has led to interest in whether cannabinoids may be clinical ly useful in the treatment of people with dementia .
Recent studies have also shown that cannabinoids may have more specific effects in interrupting the pathological process in Alzheimer 's disease .
OBJECTIVES To determine from available research whether cannabinoids are clinical ly effective in the treatment of dementia .
Bias in treatment assignment in controlled clinical trials.
Controlled clinical trials of the treatment of acute myocardial infa rct ion offer a unique opportunity for the study of the potential influence on outcome of bias in treatment assignment . A group of 145 papers was divided into those in which the r and omization process was blinded ( 57 papers ) , those in which it may have been unblinded ( 45 papers ) , and those in which the controls were selected by a nonr and om process ( 43 papers ) . At least one prognostic variable was maldistributed ( P less than 0.05 ) in 14.0 per cent of the blinded-r and omization studies , in 26.7 per cent of the unblinded-r and omization studies , and in 58.1 per cent of the nonr and omized studies . Differences in case-fatality rates between treatment and control groups ( P less than 0.05 ) were found in 8.8 per cent of the blinded-r and omization studies , 24.4 per cent of the unblinded-r and omization studies , and 58.1 per cent of the nonr and omized studies . These data emphasize the importance of keeping those who recruit patients for clinical trials from suspecting which treatment will be assigned to the patient under consideration
This review finds no evidence that cannabinoids are effective in the improvement of disturbed behaviour in dementia or in the treatment of other symptoms of dementia .
BACKGROUND Following the discovery of an endogenous cannabinoid system and the identification of specific cannabinoid receptors in the central nervous system , much work has been done to investigate the main effects of these compounds .
There is increasing evidence that the cannabinoid system may regulate neurodegenerative processes such as excessive glutamate production , oxidative stress and neuroinflammation .
Neurodegeneration is a feature common to the various types of dementia and this has led to interest in whether cannabinoids may be clinical ly useful in the treatment of people with dementia .
Recent studies have also shown that cannabinoids may have more specific effects in interrupting the pathological process in Alzheimer 's disease .
OBJECTIVES To determine from available research whether cannabinoids are clinical ly effective in the treatment of dementia .