Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-intoxicating compound found in marijuana that has been gaining attention as a potential treatment for a variety of disorders and diseases, from epilepsy to cancer. A recent brain imaging study suggests that a single dose of CBD may reduce symptoms of psychosis by “restoring activity” in three areas of the brain. Traumatic brain injuries can have serious consequences on everyday life, and current research indicates that CBD oil may be an effective way to treat the symptoms, protect the brain from further damage, and start the path to recovery. Phytocannabinoids, such as CBD, elicit the same response in the endocannabinoid system, suggesting that using CBD after injury may stimulate the brain's natural protective functions.
In addition, CBD has been found to reduce the number of fluctuations in the skin conductance response, a physiological measure of emotional response. Studies have been conducted to investigate the impact of CBD on brain function in healthy volunteers, including the acute effects of CBD alone and in comparison with those induced by THC, as well as studies that looked into the neural substrates of the acute effects of CBD in patients with a psychiatric disorder. Endocannabinoids, particularly non-psychoactive agents like CBD, affect the structure of cytokines and the biology of several cellular systems. All studies examined the acute effects of CBD on brain function during rest or while performing cognitive tasks.
Compared to placebo, CBD reduced subjective anxiety and blood flow in a group consisting of the left para-hippocampal gyrus and hippocampus, but improved blood flow in the right rear cinculate gyrus (Crippa et al. The study included 21 cases in which cannabinoids, particularly CBD obtained from cannabis plants, were used as a therapeutic measure against Alzheimer's disease. In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of research on CBD as a treatment for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This review provides a systematic description of studies that investigated the acute effects of CBD on the human brain of healthy volunteers and people diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder.
The researchers found that participants felt better and that CBD helped change how their brains responded to anxiety. A linear comparison between the three groups showed that patients treated with CBD had intermediate activation in several groups located bilaterally in the inferior frontal gyrus and in the left median frontal gyrus. Furthermore, CBD helps treat cognitive deficiencies in patients suffering from schizophrenia and therefore aids in symptomatic treatment. The acute effects of CBD compared directly to those induced by THC are described below.
Rather than binding to CB1 receptors itself, CBD interacts with them in a way that prevents chemicals like THC from binding to CB1 receptors. In people at high clinical risk of psychosis and patients with established psychosis, acute CBD showed intermediate brain activity compared to placebo and healthy controls while performing cognitive tasks. In vitro studies conducted to examine the effect of CBD on a patient with Alzheimer's were performed on PC12 neuronal cells.
