Australian researchers enlist CBD in the fight against chronic pain, receive US$1.3-million in funding – The GrowthOp

Unfortunately, half of all patients who suffer a spinal cord injury will develop chronic pain, said Luke Henderson, the lead investigator for the study. Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Researchers at the University of Sydney are hoping CBD holds the key to treating chronic pain in patients with spinal cord injuries.

The group has received US$1.3-million in new funding from the NSW government and the university, which it will use to better understand the changes in the brain that occur after a traumatic injury and how this can progress into neuropathic pain, according to the university.

Unfortunately, half of all patients who suffer a spinal cord injury will develop chronic pain, said Luke Henderson, the lead investigator for the study. This chronic neuropathic pain is often so severe that many regard it as the most debilitating consequence of their injury.

Treatment options have proven ineffective and often introduce significant side effects that further exacerbate the condition.

The study involves two parts: The first involves comparing brain images of subjects who developed chronic pain after a spinal cord injury to those who did not. The second part will employ a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to test if CBD a non-intoxicating component of cannabis has any effect on the intense discomfort caused by the injury.

While there are some studies showing that CBD can reduce pain in other chronic conditions, no one fully understands how it works to reduce pain, Henderson said. Our study can help tease this out.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence showing CBD is effective for these purposes, according to Spinal Cord Injuries Australia, by either shutting down the sensation of pain or allowing suffering patients to disassociate from the sensation and relax. The study hopes to add some hard data for researchers to rely on, Henderson said.

We will be able to explore, for the first time, the effects of CBD on brain function in chronic pain and our ability to determine the relationship between changes in pain and brain structure and function associated with CBD.

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Australian researchers enlist CBD in the fight against chronic pain, receive US$1.3-million in funding - The GrowthOp