Researchers at the University of Sydney are about to undertake a study into the impact of CBD on neuropathic pain, after being awarded a $1.7 million grant.
Over 15,000 Australians live with a spinal cord injury, half of them developing chronic pain as a result of their injury. Despite this, the majority of treatments cause debilitating side effects, according to the University of Sydney’s Professor Luke Henderson.
Professor Henderson is the lead investigator of the new study into CBD and pain. CBD (cannabidiol) is one of cannabis’s non-psychoactive components.
Earlier this week, it was announced that the study was awarded $1.45 million from NSW Health and $350,000 from the University of Sydney. This study is one of seven studies awarded a share of $15 million, as part of a NSW government push to improve the health of people with spinal cord injuries.
The study will be conducted in two parts by experts at the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics and the Brain and Mind Centre. First, researchers will use brain imaging to compare the brains of spinal cord injury sufferers with and without chronic pain. Next, the study will use placebo drugs to investigate CBD’s ability to reduce neuropathic pain.
While anecdotal evidence from Spinal Cord Injuries Australia suggests CBD is an effective treatment for neuropathic pain, Sydney researchers expect their new study to provide clinical evidence that confirms or denies this theory.
Professor Henderson was quoted as saying.
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. Our study can help tease this out.
Previous research has also found that CBD is an effective treatment for neuropathic pain associated with Multiple Sclerosis and Sickle Cell disease.
University of Sydney’s study is due to start in early 2021 and will continue for four years. The research will be carried out in Sydney, in association with the Prince of Wales Hospital and NeuRA.
You can find more information on the study here.
