Treating Autism With Cannabis Now Has Scientific Support
By Joshua Kaplan 16.10.2017 Wellness
New research
suggests that the
cannabis-extract
cannabidiol could
help treat autism.
Autism is challenging to treat
pharmacologically because there’s no single
cause.
Autism can be caused by genetic factors,
environmental factors (e.g., pesticide
exposure) or a combination of both.
Depending on the underlying cause, the
severity of symptoms ranges across a
spectrum, thus leading to the classification of
autism as a spectrum disorder.
But a recent study suggests that cannabidiol
(CBD) could offer relief for people on the
spectrum. Here's why.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is
characterised by communication deficits,
aberrant social behaviour, and restricted and
repetitive motor behaviours.
In many cases, ASD symptoms are the result
of reduced inhibition in the brain.
For instance, genetic causes can lead to the
reduced activity of inhibitory brain cells, thus
tipping the brain’s balance towards excitation.
This is reflected in hypersensitivity to stimuli,
such as to lights, odours, noises, or tactile
stimuli that makes the individual act
“abnormally” in social situations.
The individual who retreats from a social
situation may be doing so because they’re
overwhelmed by a strong odour, anxious from
direct eye contact, or a host of other reasons
brought on by an insufficient inhibitory gate
in the brain.
In about a quarter of ASD cases, the reduced
brain inhibition is so profound, and the
resulting increase in brain excitation so great,
that seizures result.
These cases, in which epilepsy and ASD co-
occur, generally reflect the severe end of the
spectrum and what scientists are seeking to
treat.
Restoring inhibition in the brain thus seems
like a reasonable approach to treatment. In
mice that were genetically altered to express
autism-like behaviours, scientists from
Stanford University used a technique called
“optogenetic” to increase the brain’s level of
inhibition.
The researchers could activate inhibitory
brain cells by turning on a light-emitting
diode (LED) in the brains of mice. When the
light was off, the mice avoided social
interaction. However, when they flipped the
light on, the mice engaged in normal social
behaviour. Unfortunately, at this point we
can’t use optogenetic in humans yet.
So we need a new strategy to restore the
brain’s inhibition.
CBD to the Rescue
Our research team at the University of
Washington sought to similarly treat a mouse
model of autism, but instead of using light,
we used CBD. CBD has gained recognition
and respect in the medical community for its
success in treating seizures in children with
Dravet Syndrome, a severe childhood
epileptic disorder characterized by frequent
seizures and autism.
While these clinical trials showed that CBD
was an effective anti-epileptic in these
patients, they never investigated CBD’s
effects on ASD.
In fact, no clinical study has ever looked at the
potential for CBD to treat ASD.
To date, there’s only one clinical study being
conducted in Israel, but it’s not expected to be
completed until 2019. And there’s never been
a study of CBD in animal models of
autism…until now.