PotBotics: better cannabis recommendations through science

Medical cannabis, recreational cannabis; it’s getting hard to tell the two apart — even in states where only the former is allowed. Just look at your local dispensary. If it’s anything like my local weed shop, your cannabis choices are governed more by the brand name and relative THC content than they are the other active cannabinoids — you know, the ones with the actual medical benefits. This is great for your average stoner recuperating from a backiatomy, but for patients who really do need these complementary cannabinoid effects, guessing whether Blue Dream or Vallejo Sour Diesel will best help alleviate the effects of their chemo simply won’t do. That’s why the Bay Area startup PotBotics is working to put some real science — from a curation of existing scholarly articles and independent studies — behind cannabis recommendations.

PotBotics is developing a trio of products. There’s PotBot (above), a cannabis-recommendation engine launching in September that makes its selections based not on the strain, but on the relative cannabinoid levels that it contains. The BrainBot EEG device — aka an electroencephalogram, a device that measures your brain’s electrical activity through the scalp — serves as the back end of the recommendation system, giving medical professionals insight into how each cannabinoid affects the brain. And finally there’s NanoPot, an ambitious project that aims to analyze cannabis seed DNA to promote better cultivation.

In addition to its own EEG-based research, the company is working with Israel’s Hebrew University to gather data from large-scale clinical studies while avoiding the strict testing and research restrictions here in America. Cannabis’ status as a Schedule I drug has long hamstrung research efforts. Schedule I refers to weed’s ranking according to the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Such drugs, including cannabis, heroin, peyote and MDMA, are all considered to have “a high potential for abuse,” “no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States” and “a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.” This not only makes cannabis illegal to use or possess under federal law, but also made any sort of research on it over the past 45 years nearly impossible.

The BrainBot EEG system, which is slated for release by the end of the year, is designed for in-office use by a general practitioner or neurologist for epilepsy and concussions, though David Goldstein, PotBotics co-founder and director of communications, says his team has also begun investigating its use in anxiety and PTSD. Ideally, he says, doctors will use the BrainBot’s FDA-approved differentiated EEG with a disposable head cap and a precisely measured, aerosolized cannabinoid mixture for the patient to inhale. By monitoring how the EEG’s differ before and after inhaling, doctors will be able to tell which cannabinoids the patient best responds to.

Ultimately, Goldstein hopes to find indicators of relief on those EEGs, specifically among what he describes as epileptic spikes. “An epileptic spike is very clearly defined in science,” he said. “It’s a spike in the alpha brainwaves. We’re working with those patients on [building] an EEG history — we can start looking at what cannabinoids levels really offer the best relief possible.” So, with epileptic patients, for example, Goldstein’s team is looking for a reduction in the magnitude of these alpha spikes, which would mean less frequent epileptic episodes.

In addition, the EEG would be used to monitor states of relaxation versus anxiety. “For anxiety, we’d be looking at the state of beta brainwaves,” Goldstein explained. “Betas generally indicate the relative state of relaxation for a patient, but appear ‘dim’ (and I know that’s not the scientific term for that) when a person feels anxiety.”

The company hopes to have patients first complete a baseline EEG, then another while “activating” their ailment. For arthritis, as an example, the patient would squeeze a tennis ball while being monitored. The differences between the two readings should provide clues as to how the ailment is affecting their alpha and beta brainwaves.

We’re working with those patients on [building] an EEG history — we can start looking at what cannabinoids levels really offer the best relief possible. – PotBotics CEO David Goldstein

“A lower alpha wave spike (though it’s different from an epileptic spike) with a rise in beta waves indicates a deconcentration on that pain,” Goldstein continued. “So if you follow up with a cannabinoid dosage and see that pattern, you know it’s working.” From there, the company can build a quantifiable relief model based directly on specific cannabinoid molecules.

While this all sounds straightforward on paper, the actual process may not be so simple. Epilepsy isn’t a one-size-fits-all genetic disorder. There are more variations of the disease and its symptoms than there are Baskin Robbins flavors, Dr. Daniel Friedman, assistant professor of neurology at NYU Langone Medical Center’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, explains.

Generally, EEGs are used as secondary measures of a drug’s success (following whether or not the patient’s outward symptoms actually improve), Friedman told Engadget. However, for some studies involving photopath epilepsy — the kind that causes discharges when the patient looks at a strobe light — EEGs may be used as the primary measure of success. “There are well-validated studies that show if an EEG improves in response to a new medication in this population of patients, it will likely also be associated with a reduction of seizures down the line,” he said.

I think the jury is still out. We certainly don’t have any solid proof that this treatment is effective and safe – Dr. Daniel Friedman, NYU

What’s more, for focal epilepsies (wherein the seizures originate in a single, specific part of the brain), EEG readings may not necessarily correlate with the frequency or severity of clinical seizures, or the patient’s response to new medications and treatments. “Some treatments for this kind of epilepsy actually increase the rates of interictal spikes [the smaller discharges that often precede a full-on seizure] even though they reduce the number of seizures,” Friedman concluded. “So I think it turns out that some of these features aren’t great markers for seizure risk.”

In fact, he goes on to say that many of the miraculous healing stories that make headlines and go viral on social media may suffer from bias. “There are people who have benefitted from CBD [Cannabidiol] just like any other medication,” he said. “I have some patients that will respond positively to a medication and others who will either not respond or actually worsen. And I think that’s the same situation with CBD. The problem is that when someone tries it and it doesn’t work, they won’t post a testimonial about it on social media. You don’t ever hear about the unsuccessful tries.” CBD is the second most prevalent of the 85 cannabinoids identified in weed, behind THC. It exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, plus it’s not psychoactive (i.e., it won’t get you high). CBD is marketed as a treatment for Dravet syndrome, a debilitating and severe form of childhood epilepsy, under the brand name Epidiolex.

Dr. Kimford Meador, professor of neurology and neurological sciences and director of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at Stanford University, was similarly skeptical in his assessment of PotBotics’ description of its technology. “They go into this thing about the different types of brainwaves,” Dr. Meador said. “I don’t even know what the hell they’re talking about with ‘alpha spikes.’ That’s a very odd term. … That’s not what an epileptic spike is. An epileptic spike is not a spike in the alpha brainwaves.”

Normal EEG readings look much like the gentle swells of the ocean — a sine wave, basically. The alpha waves hum along at 8Hz to 12Hz when the brain is at rest, and sometimes other brainwaves like beta or theta will lie on top of the larger alpha. “An epileptic spike is when something sticks out like a shark fin or a submarine periscope,” Meador explained.

Meador also took umbrage with PotBotics’ definition of beta waves: “They go down and talk about anxiety and beta waves being related to a state of relaxation and I don’t think there’s good evidence for that, frankly. Beta waves tend to be seen more when someone is focused. Also beta waves can be generated by certain kinds of drugs.” Drugs such as Valium or phenobarbital can artificially generate beta waves, though Meador does not believe these “induced-effect waves” to be valid indicators of a state of relaxation. “I don’t think the science of that is very good,” Meador said. “So in all, I’m not very impressed with what they’re trying to do.”

PotBotics then quickly backtracked in the face of the doctor’s concerns. “After reviewing Dr. Kimford Meador[‘s] comments it became evident that there were a couple of miscommunications,” Goldstein wrote to Engadget via email. “The two primary misunderstandings were the terms ‘alpha spikes’ and the mix up of beta with theta brain waves. I should have kept neurological descriptions to the medical professionals, as I am not in a position to comment/describe QEEG [Quantitative EEG] analysis.” In that case, I guess we’ll have to wait until the device actually hits market to see if it works as advertised.

That said, how much faith should people be putting into CBD as an epileptic cure-all in the first place? “I think the jury is still out,” Friedman continued. “We certainly don’t have any solid proof that this treatment is effective and safe (and, in addition, any more effective or safe than existing treatments). And that is exactly why we need placebo-controlled [double blind] studies to see if this treatment is actually viable.”

The same skepticism should also be applied to emerging cannabis-based treatments and their diagnostics. We’ve only just begun to study the medical applications for cannabis in earnest and, at this point, it remains unclear if novel techniques like those employed by the BrainBot will be effective. That’s not to say they won’t be or shouldn’t be attempted, of course. However until the medical community has a more robust knowledge of cannabis’ active ingredients, new treatments like PotBotics’ EEG should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism.

[CBD Image Credit: Associated Press]

Filed under: Science

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[Limited time offer] 90% off popular game titles in Google Play store

Google is having a great sale on popular game titles in the app store right now.  The offer is up to 90% off the regular price of the games, and the sale will end on 7/27.  So if you have been on the fence trying to decide if you want to spend 5 dollars on Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, now is your chance to get it for $0.99.  A few other titles listed in the sale are:

1. The Dark Knight Rises – A game by Gameloft based on the actual Batman movie by Christopher Nolan.  The game offers stunning graphics and intense gameplay where you play as Batman and get to play out your fantasy to be a superhero.

2. Monument Valley – This is a puzzle game based on a character named Ida who you are supposed to help navigate her beautiful world by solving architectural puzzles and optical illusions. This app has been downloaded by over 500,000 people and is a really fun puzzle game.

3. NBA JAM – Based on the iconic classic, this game offers tons of entertainment especially if you like crazy dunks, crazy half court shots, and real players and teams. You can also play this app on your Android TV using a compatible gamepad.

For the other titles, head on over to Google Play and see the deals for yourself.

The post [Limited time offer] 90% off popular game titles in Google Play store appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Here’s what happened at last Friday’s #EngadgetLive in Boston!

Engadget Live Boston 2015 was… sort of a blur. Sure, I remember the broad strokes — our first live meetup of the year saw 1,500 people checking out great gadgets and downing drinks in the Royale once more, and the complimentary selfie sticks floating around kept us all from taking ourselves too seriously.

Beyond those vain, drunk moments, attendees waited for their chances to try smashing a drone into a wall, talk to cars and cruise around briefly on an electric, remote-controlled skateboard. (There also exists footage of yours truly drunkenly riding that very board after being furiously spun around by my boss, but I’ll leave that for you to ferret out.) Sound like fun? You’re damn right it was. Now that all we have left are memories of Beantown, we’ve no choice but to look to the future… and our upcoming geek parties in Los Angeles (August 21) and Austin (October 16). Stay tuned – you won’t want to miss these.

Special thanks go out to the sponsors who kept us drunk and entertained that night, and also to everyone who came out, hung out in a line, and were basically the geekiest, most gracious people we’ve ever met. The folks out west have a high bar to clear.

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AT&T has the FCC’s permission to buy DirecTV

Just a couple of days after the DoJ said the deal could go through and FCC Commissioner Tom Wheeler recommend its approval, the FCC voted to make the $49 billion AT&T / DirecTV combo official — with a few conditions. As we’d heard, the approval comes with strings (in place for four years) including a requirement AT&T expand its fiber network, hook up gigabit internet to eligible schools and libraries and provide affordable standalone internet for low-income customers in its service areas. Another requirement is aimed at AT&T’s data usage caps, saying it can’t use them to discriminate against other video services. The other net neutrality requirement says AT&T will have to disclose any interconnect agreements — the ones Netflix is so concerned about — to the FCC so it can monitor the terms. Are those requirements enough to make the deal worth it? Consumer advocate like the Free Press say no, but with the FCC’s blessing the deal should be done soon.

FCC conditions:

· Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) Deployment. Recognizing that the merger reduces AT&T-DIRECTV’s incentive to deploy FTTP service, the Commission adopts as a condition of this merger the expansion of FTTP service to 12.5 million customer locations. This condition also responds to the harm of the loss of a video competitor in areas where AT&T and DIRECTV had directly competed before the merger by providing a pathway for increased competition from services that rely on broadband Internet to deliver video.

· Gigabit Service to E-rate Eligible Schools and Libraries. In addition, to ensure that schools and libraries also benefit from expanded fiber deployment to consumers and institutions, the Commission is also requiring AT&T-DIRECTV to offer gigabit service to any E-rate eligible school or library where AT&T-DIRECTV deploys FTTP service.

· Non-Discriminatory Usage-Based Practices. Recognizing that AT&T is the only major ISP that applies “data caps” across the board to all of its fixed broadband customers and that this merger increases the incentive of AT&T-DIRECTV to use strategies that limit consumers’ access to online video distribution services in order to favor its own video services, the Commission requires AT&T-DIRECTV, as a condition of this merger, to refrain from imposing discriminatory usage-based allowances or other discriminatory retail terms and conditions on its broadband Internet service.

· Internet Interconnection Disclosure Requirements. Recognizing the importance of interconnection to the operation of online video services, the Commission also requires as a condition of this merger that AT&T-DIRECTV submit its Internet interconnection agreements so that the Commission may monitor the terms of such agreements to determine whether AT&T-DIRECTV is denying or impeding access to its networks in anticompetitive ways through the terms of these agreements.

· Discounted Broadband Services for Low-Income Subscribers. While finding that the availability of better and lower priced bundles of video and broadband service is a potential benefit of the merger, the Commission also concludes that the public interest requires us to ensure that a bundle of video and broadband services is not the only competitive choice for low-income subscribers who may not be able to afford bundled services. The Commission accordingly requires as a condition of the merger that AT&T-DIRECTV make available an affordable, low-price standalone broadband service to low-income consumers in its broadband service area.

· Compliance Program and Reporting. Given the important role that these conditions serve in securing the public interest benefits of the merger, the Commission requires that AT&T-DIRECTV retain both an internal company compliance officer and an independent, external compliance officer that will report and monitor, respectively, the combined entity’s compliance with all conditions of the merger.

[Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Mobile

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Source: FCC