Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31835954›Full record

SynthesisCanadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie2020

Cannabinoids for the Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Anees Bahji, Arthi Chinna Meyyappan, Emily R Hawken

Open access · bronzeAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
24citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
3.9field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

24 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 48 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Cannabinoids for the treatment of dementia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021
    Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Observational
  12. Cannabis, cannabinoids and health: a review of evidence on risks and medical benefits.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2025
    Review
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Emotional and Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Alzheimer's Disease.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2022
    Review
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Anees BahjiDepartment of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3490-314X
Arthi Chinna MeyyappanProvidence Care Hospital, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Emily R HawkenDepartment of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Providence Health Care · CAQueen's University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn 2016, the global number of individuals living with dementia was 43.8 million, representing a 117% increase from 1990-mainly due to increases in aging and population growth. Up to 90% of individuals with dementia experience neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS). However, the limitations of current treatments for NPS have drivent he search for safer pharmacotherapies-including cannabinoids.

aimTo assess the efficacy and acceptability of cannabinoids for the treatment of NPS in individuals with dementia.

designSystematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. SETTING AND

participantsOf 6,902 papers, 9 were eligible ( MEASUREMENT: Titles/abstracts were independently screened by one reviewer and reviewed by a second. Full-text screening was by two reviewers with discrepancies resolved via a third reviewer. We extracted data on the standardized mean difference (SMD) for several NPS instruments, trial completion, and adverse events. Data were pooled using random-effects models.

findingsCannabinoids led to significant improvements across NPS instruments, including the Cohen Mansfield Agitation Inventory (SMD = -0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.45 to -0.16), the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (SMD = -0.61; CI, -1.07 to -0.15), and nocturnal actigraphy (SMD = -1.05; CI, -1.56 to -0.54h). Cannabinoids were well-tolerated, with an overall trial completion rate of 93% (193/205) and no serious treatment-related adverse events. Treatment efficacy was associated with baseline dementia severity and dose, but not dementia subtype, age, or sex. The overall study quality was rated as low.

conclusionsThere is preliminary evidence for the efficacy and tolerability of cannabinoids as treatments for NPS. Population-based studies are needed to characterize their real-world effectiveness and acceptability.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseCannabinoidsFemaleHumansMaleNorth AmericaTreatment OutcomeCannabinoidsAlzheimer diseasecannabinoidsgeriatric psychiatrymeta-analysispharmacotherapysystematic reviews

Identifiers

PMID31835954
PMCPMC7265608
OpenAlexW2996535940

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.