The effect of cannabinoids on psychological factors in MS
National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, London
This separate project, funded by the MS Trust, was an adjunct to the Medical Research Council funded trial of cannabinoids for the treatment of spasticity. To conduct such a trial without monitoring psychological factors would have weakened the results significantly. The Trust therefore agreed to fund the PECS study (Psychological Effects of Cannabis study) conducted at the National Hospital in Queen Square, London.
September 2003
Preliminary results from the study were presented at the ECTRIMS (European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS) meeting in Milan.
The study followed 109 people taking part in the larger Cannabis and MS study. The preliminary results showed the cognitive scores of all the participants at the start and end of treatment within the study remained within the expected range for people with MS. Researchers have concluded that no significant effect on cognition was shown in people using medicinal cannabis.
The longer-term psychological effects of cannabis were further examined over a three year period which ended in August 2004. The results have now been analysed and submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
