Tourette’s syndrome affects millions of people around the world. While few treatment options are available, there isn’t much optimism for symptom improvement. With new research emerging, though, many believe medical marijuana could help treat Tourette’s syndrome.
Medical marijuana has been increasingly used over the last decade to help with physical and mental ailments. The list of benefits of medical cannabis is forever increasing. It is still too early in the research to be sure, but symptoms of Tourette’s may be next on the list.
What is Tourette’s Syndrome?
Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes unwanted muscle sensations, leading to motor and vocal tics. There isn’t an exact cause established yet, however, researchers believe it is both genetic and environmental factors involved. Most cases of Tourette’s have been genetically inherited.
With TS, there are issues with the basal ganglia, along with the thalamus and frontal cortex. Since there’s a dense presence of cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptors in the basal ganglia, it’s understood that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is heavily involved in its function. Since it modulates this system, along with many others, it’s suspected that ECS dysfunction is in part to blame for TS.
Can Medical Marijuana Help Treat Tourette’s?
Researchers have suspected that medical marijuana could help with the symptoms of TS for decades. Back in 1998, a team of German researchers found that out of 17 patients who reported smoking marijuana in a 64-person TS study, 14 reported either partial or total relief[4] from their tics. Follow-up studies performed by the same team showed results consistent with this trend. Verbal and physical tics aren’t where the relief stops though. Many patients with TS suffer from sleep issues. As we all know, medical cannabis can be a wonder to help people fall asleep. While tics get more frequent during REM sleep, cannabis cuts down REM sleep altogether.
Medical Marijuana and Treating Tourette’s Syndrome in the Future
Even with the research that’s already been done, only the future knows what’s in store for the relationship between Tourette’s syndrome and medical cannabis. Clinical trials are still ongoing but there is reason to believe we can be optimistic about the outcomes. At the end of the day, we just hope that those with TS are soon able to access a truly effective treatment.
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