Study Spotlight #6: CBD for Autism Disorders
Brazilian researchers (E. da Silva Junior et al., 2022) conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled trial examining the effects a CBD-rich cannabis extract would have on sixty children ages between 5 and 11. The trial lasted 12 weeks. The children were divided into two groups. The treatment group received the CBD extract, and the control group the placebo. Neither the patients nor their healthcare providers knew what was in the products they received. The resulting data revealed significant improvements in symptoms, including social interaction, anxiety, agitation, number of meals a day, and concentration.
These findings are echoed by ten other recent primary clinical trials listed in the CannaKeys data bank, which similarly suggest that modulating various components of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) with the use of cannabinoid-based therapeutics, i.e., mainly using cannabis chemotype III extracts (i.e., those abundant in CBD)( A. Aran et al., 2021), but also cannabidivarin (CBDV)(C. Pretzsch et al. 2021), and the endocannabinoid-like compound palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) (M. Khalaj et al., 2018) have been found to make a significant difference in mitigating several types of common symptoms in this patient population.
For more CannaKeys-autism-related articles, click here and here and here.
Silva EAD Junior, Medeiros WMB, Santos JPMD, Sousa JMM, Costa FBD, Pontes KM, Borges TC, Espínola C Neto Segundo, Andrade E Silva AH, Nunes ELG, Torro N, Rosa MDD, Albuquerque KLGD. Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of cannabidiol-rich cannabis extract in children with autism spectrum disorder: randomized, double-blind and controlled placebo clinical trial. Trends Psychiatry Psychother. 2022 May 26;44.