Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34104218›Full record

ArticleTherapeutic advances in neurological disorders2021

Cannabis and its derivatives for the use of motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Susan J Thanabalasingam, Brandan Ranjith, Robyn Jackson, Don Thiwanka Wijeratne

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Therapeutic advances in neurological disorders, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
4.7field-weighted citation impact, top 5% 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

18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
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  4. Review
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  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Therapeutic use of medical Cannabis in neurological diseases: a clinical update.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2024
    Review
  10. Advice to People with Parkinson's in My Clinic: Cannabis.Journal of Parkinson's disease · 2024
    Review
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Article
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  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Medical cannabis and cannabinoids
    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

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Susan J ThanabalasingamKingston Health Sciences Centre, Kingston, ON, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8948-1730
Brandan RanjithFaculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Robyn JacksonKingston Health Sciences Centre, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Don Thiwanka WijeratneDivision of General Internal Medicine, Queen's University, Etherington Hall, Room 1018, 94 Stuart St., Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada, 613 533-2056.
Queen's University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRecent changes to the legal status of cannabis across various countries have renewed interest in exploring its use in Parkinson's disease (PD). The use of cannabinoids for alleviation of motor symptoms has been extensively explored in pre-clinical studies.

objectiveWe aim to systematically review and meta-analyze literature on the use of medical cannabis or its derivatives (MC) in PD patients to determine its effect on motor function and its safety profile.

methodsWe reviewed and analyzed original, full-text randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies. Primary outcomes were change in motor function and dyskinesia. Secondary outcomes included adverse events and side effects. All studies were analyzed for risk of bias.

resultsFifteen studies, including six RCTs, were analyzed. Of these, 12/15 (80%) mention concomitant treatment with antiparkinsonian medications, most commonly levodopa. Primary outcomes were most often measured using the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) among RCTs and patient self-report of symptom improvement was widely used among observational studies. Most of the observational data lacking appropriate controls had effect estimates favoring the intervention. However, the controlled studies demonstrated no significant motor symptom improvement overall. The meta-analysis of three RCTs, including a total of 83 patients, did not demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in UPDRS III score variation (MD -0.21, 95% CI -4.15 to 3.72;

conclusionAlthough observational studies establish subjective symptom alleviation and interest in MC among PD patients, there is insufficient evidence to support its integration into clinical practice for motor symptom treatment. This is primarily due to lack of good quality data.

Indexed as

adjuvant therapycannabidiolcannabinoidsmedical cannabisParkinson’s disease

Identifiers

PMID34104218
PMCPMC8161868
OpenAlexW3164111830

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.