STUDY OF THE ANTICONVULSANT EFFECT OF CANNABIDIOL AFTER TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.

• Grant number: 17/05242-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): January 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): April 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Beatriz de Oliveira Monteiro
• Grantee: Simone Amaro Alves Romariz Bertola
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/24561-5 - Epileptogenesis, biomarkers and post-traumatic epilepsy, AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/13736-9 - The therapeutic potential of cannabidiol after traumatic brain injury, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an acute brain insult that increases susceptibility to seizures and epilepsy. Post-traumatic epilepsy (EPT) accounts for 10-20% of symptomatic epilepsies and 5% of all types of epilepsy. Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the major cannabinoids present in Cannabis sativa with a great therapeutic potential. According to the evidences from pre-clinical and clinical studies, CBD presents anticonvulsant effects and has recently been proposed for the treatment of epileptic seizures, especially in refractory epilepsy with difficult seizure control through medication. However, the therapeutic potential of CBD after cerebral injury has never been explored and the mechanisms that generate the possible anticonvulsant effect are not yet well understood. Hence, it is necessary to investigate the effects of the CBD in animal models of post-traumatic epileptic seizures, in addition to identify the mechanisms involved in this protective effect.Therefore, in the present project we propose to investigate the therapeutic potential of the CBD on PTZ-induced seizures after TBI. In addition, we aim to investigate whether CBD decreases inflammation by acting on specific targets activated by TNF-± (Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha) both in vitro in neurospheres (3D) culture, and in vivo in a seizure model after TBI. We expect that the project will contribute with new insights that support the use of CBD for the treatment of epilepsy, as well as elucidate, at least in part, the mechanism of action involved in seizures protection.