Use of marijuana could help in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder patients, a new Israeli study has revealed.
Use of marijuana could help in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder patients, a new Israeli study has revealed.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a condition in which the patient continues to suffer from stress symptoms months after going through a traumatic event like a car accident or a terror attack. These symptoms include reawakened trauma, evasion of anything that could remind the patient of the trauma, and mental and physiological disturbances.In the study conducted by Eti Ganon-Elazar, a research student at the Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Israel, under the supervision of Dr. Irit Akirav, a synthetic form of marijuana was used on rats to find out the effectiveness of a cannabinoid treatment for post-traumatic stress.
The researchers also discovered that synthetic marijuana dampened the release of the stress hormone that is produced in the body as a reaction to stress.
Dr. Akirav said: "The results of our research should encourage psychiatric investigation into the use of cannabinoids in post-traumatic stress patients."
The study has appeared in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Source-ANI
RAS