Glutamate is the major excitatory nerve transmitter chemical. GABA is the major inhibitory nerve transmitter chemical that down regulates glutamate activity
This study describes the role of the cannabinoid system through which cannabis acts to control excessive nerve-impulse transmission during spasticity. It starts with MSers reporting their experiences and then our experimental evidence that provided the first objective evidence to support those experiences. That was part of the equation that lead to unraveling of what the cannabinoid system does and importantly to the eventual delivery of a drug that has some benefit for the control of spasticity.
Sativex has been licenced for treatment of MS in Canada and some European Countries (UK, Spain Germany, Denmark and Sweden), but has yet to recieve NICE approval in the UK and is therefore sometimes difficult to get access to the drug.
This study also reports on future avenues that could provide the next generation of cannabis-like drugs that avoids the side-effects associated with cannabis use. It also explains how this system can be manipulated to have a potential benefitical effect in Progressive MS. A trial to test this idea is already fully recruited (600MSers) and is ongoing with the UK.