Canadians' use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes since legalization of recreational cannabis: a cross-sectional analysis by medical authorization status.

Background: There has been a precipitous decline in authorizations for medical cannabis since non-medical cannabis was legalized in Canada in 2018. This study examines the demographic and health- and medical cannabis-related factors associated with authorization as well as the differences in medical cannabis use, side effects, and sources of medical cannabis and information by authorization status.

Methods: Individuals who were taking cannabis for therapeutic purposes completed an online survey in early 2022.

Medical cannabis authorization patterns, safety, and associated effects in older adults.

Background: Use of medical cannabis is increasing among older adults. However, few investigations have examined cannabis use in this population.

Methods: We assessed the authorization patterns, safety, and effects of medical cannabis in a sub-analysis of 201 older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) who completed a 3-month follow-up during this observational study of patients who were legally authorized a medical cannabis product (N = 67).

Cannabidiol use and effectiveness: real-world evidence from a Canadian medical cannabis clinic.

Background: Cannabidiol (CBD) is a primary component in the cannabis plant; however, in recent years, interest in CBD treatments has outpaced scientific research and regulatory advancement resulting in a confusing landscape of misinformation and unsubstantiated health claims. Within the limited results from randomized controlled trials, and lack of trust in product quality and known clinical guidelines and dosages, real-world evidence (RWE) from countries with robust regulatory frameworks may fill a critical need for patients and healthcare professionals. Despite growing evidence and interest, no real-world data (RWD) studies have yet investigated patients' reports of CBD impact on symptom control in the common expression of pain, anxiety, depression, and poor wellbeing.

The model of care at a leading medical cannabis clinic in Canada.

Medical cannabis access has been legalized in more than 30 countries worldwide and popularity among patients is increasing rapidly. Cannabinoid-based treatments have been shown to be beneficial for several symptoms such as chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, spasticity, chronic pain, intractable seizures and insomnia, yet high-quality clinical trials are still limited. As millions of patients now have legal access to medical cannabis, little information is available about the development of best clinical practices and an effective medical cannabis clinic model.

Authorization Patterns, Safety, and Effectiveness of Medical Cannabis in Quebec.

Despite increasing demand for data, little is known about the authorization patterns, safety, and effectiveness of medical cannabis products. We conducted a 2 year observational study of adult patients who were legally authorized a medical cannabis product from a single licensed producer; we captured and analyzed authorized cannabis use patterns by cannabinoid profile (tetrahydrocannabinol [THC]-dominant; cannabidiol [CBD]-dominant; and balanced (THC:CBD) and clinical outcomes using standardized outcome measures every 3 months for 12 months at a network of medical cannabis clinics in Quebec, Canada. We recruited 585 patients (average age 56.

The ConDialInt Model: Condensation, Dialogality, and Intentionality Dimensions of Inner Speech Within a Hierarchical Predictive Control Framework.

Inner speech has been shown to vary in form along several dimensions. Along condensation, condensed inner speech forms have been described, that are supposed to be deprived of acoustic, phonological and even syntactic qualities. Expanded forms, on the other extreme, display articulatory and auditory properties.

The Frontotemporal Dementia versus Primary Psychiatric Disorder (FTD versus PPD) Checklist: A Bedside Clinical Tool to Identify Behavioral Variant FTD in Patients with Late-Onset Behavioral Changes.

Background: Differentiating early behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and primary psychiatric disorders (PPD) is complex and biomarkers have limited accuracy, leading to inaccurate diagnoses.

Objectives: Develop a simple bedside clinical tool to differentiate bvFTD from PPD.

Methods: A checklist of clinical features differentiating bvFTD from PPD was developed based on literature and clinical experience.

Intergenerational transmission of fronto-parietal dysfunction during forethought in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a pilot study.

There are only a few published reports of neural abnormalities within the families of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to compare cerebral activation of ADHD and control biological parent-child dyads during forethought, a prospective function of working memory. Reduced activations in ADHD dyads were found in the inferior frontal gyrus, right superior parietal lobule and left inferior parietal lobule.

An EMG study of the lip muscles during covert auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia.

Purpose: Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are speech perceptions in the absence of external stimulation. According to an influential theoretical account of AVHs in schizophrenia, a deficit in inner-speech monitoring may cause the patients' verbal thoughts to be perceived as external voices. The account is based on a predictive control model, in which individuals implement verbal self-monitoring.

Atypical Activations of Fronto-Cerebellar Regions During Forethought in Parents of Children With ADHD.

Objective: Although several studies suggest heritability of ADHD, only a few investigations of possible associations between people at risk and neural abnormalities in ADHD exist. In this study, we tested whether parents of children with ADHD would show atypical patterns of cerebral activations during forethought, a feature of working memory.

Method: Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), we compared 12 parents of children with ADHD and 9 parents of control children during a forethought task.

Left-dominant temporal-frontal hypercoupling in schizophrenia patients with hallucinations during speech perception.

Background: Task-based functional neuroimaging studies of schizophrenia have not yet replicated the increased coordinated hyperactivity in speech-related brain regions that is reported with symptom-capture and resting-state studies of hallucinations. This may be due to suboptimal selection of cognitive tasks.

Methods: In the current study, we used a task that allowed experimental manipulation of control over verbal material and compared brain activity between 23 schizophrenia patients (10 hallucinators, 13 nonhallucinators), 22 psychiatric (bipolar), and 27 healthy controls.

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Objective: This study aims at examining risk factors associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) such as comorbidities and adversity factors in members of a family with ADHD.

Methods: 137 parents of 104 children with ADHD and 40 parents of 34 typically developing (TD) children filled a questionnaire. Chi-square tests and Student tests measured the association between each group and items of the questionnaire as well as the differences between the groups.

Hyperintensity of functional networks involving voice-selective cortical regions during silent thought in schizophrenia.

An important aspect of schizophrenia symptomatology is inner-outer confusion, or blurring of ego boundaries, which is linked to symptoms such as hallucinations and Schneiderian delusions. Dysfunction in the cognitive processes involved in the generation of private thoughts may contribute to blurring of the ego boundaries through increased activation in functional networks including speech- and voice-selective cortical regions. In the present study, the neural underpinnings of silent verbal thought generation and speech perception were investigated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).