Parkinson’s Disease – Cannabis Research

Description of Parkinson's Disease

Western medicine considers Parkinson's disease a chronic degenerative brain and nervous system disorder. An estimated 90,000 new cases of Parkinson's arise in North America every year, which is spiking according to new 2022 estimates (Willis et al., 2022). 

Interestingly, the US shows certain areas where PD tends to cluster, such as the “PD belt”. While about 10% of these cases are genetic and show up in younger people, the environmental factors are still poorly understood but likely significant based on this clustering.  Researchers believe that PD results from the loss of specific nerve cells that produce the chemical dopamine (DA). DA is a naturally occurring and essential neurotransmitter that gives us control of tonic and phasic muscle movements.

The underlying pathology of Parkinson's disease (PD) typically involves complex neurological manifestations, including: 

• Aggregation of alpha-synuclein


• Dementia 


• Oxidative stress to thalamic nuclei 


• Neuroinflammation, particularly in the nigrostriatal tract 


• Tremors


• Muscle rigidity, stiffness, and spasms


• Discoordinated and slow movements (bradykinesia)


• Neuropathic pain

PD is also frequently accompanied by depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and other comorbidities that also need to be managed. 

As such, any novel treatment strategies should address this complexity by simultaneously targeting multiple pathways and mechanisms to stop or slow down the neurodegenerative processes. Currently, the main research focus on treating Parkinson's is in preventing the buildup of, or promoting the breakdown of, alpha-synuclein complexes.

Orthodox medicine has no cure; treatment is mainly limited to pharmaceutical interventions, such as:  

• Dopamine agonists (i.e., levodopa, carbidopa)


• Enzyme inhibitors (i.e., MAO-B and COMT inhibitors)


• Amantadine for involuntary movements


• Anticholinergics for tremors and rigidity

For people who don't respond to traditional medications, deep brain stimulation is a new treatment modality that is not well-understood but is surgically performed and could be helpful. It’s also important to make lifestyle adjustments for a healthy diet as well as physical, occupational, and speech therapies.