"They will turn to the Lord, and He will respond to their pleas and heal them."
Isaiah 19:22
Isaiah 19:22
PTSD is a common disorder among soldiers who return home after witnessing the horrors of war and conflict. Unfortunately doctors and scientist cannot offer a complete remedy to erase the trauma but they treat them to reduce the symptoms of the disorder.
A recent study conducted at the University of Haifa and published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology states that marijuana may hold the key in the fight against PTSD. If cannabinoids are administered short after the traumatic event has unfolded then the development of PTSD is blocked.
Dr. Irit Akirav who led the study says that the treatment is effective only if the synthetic marijuana is administered within the first hours after the traumatic event took place, this window of opportunity is known as the "golden hours".
The test was carried out on rats because their physiological reactions to traumatic and stressful events are similar to human reactions. Dr. Akirav focused on the effects that administering cannabinoids has on the development of PTSD on rats.
The study was structured in two stages. The first stage consisted in exposing a group of rats to extreme stress and watch how the PTSD symptoms start to appear. Afterwards, the group of rats was divided in four groups so that each may receive a different treatment. The results indicated that rats who received cannabinoids later than 24 hours showed no signs of PTSD symptoms reduction. While on the other hand, rats who received the treatment in 2 to 24 hours after the traumatic event showed signs of reduction of the PTSD symptoms although not completely.
The second stage of the study focused on uncovering the biological mechanisms that affect the brain when it is exposed to traumatic events and then is treated with cannabinoids. To achieve this, the first stage of the study was repeated with the small exception that the cannabinoids were directly administered to the amygdala area of the brain. The results showed that this time as well PTSD development was successfully blocked. The researchers concluded that the effect of the marijuana is mediated by a CB1 receptor in the amygdala.
