“Objective: The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of purified cannabidiol as an add-on medication in pediatric patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) associated with treatment resistant repetitive behaviors, behavior disorders, and intellectual disability and unresponsive to conventional medications and behavioral interventions.

Material and methods: A prospective, observational, before-and-after study was conducted including 20 patients with severe ASD who initiated treatment with purified CBD. Patients were evaluated using different scales at baseline and at three-month intervals during followup.

Results: The median total CBD dose was 363.5 mg (range, 100-700), and the median follow-up was 11 months (range, 6-12). As to the primary outcome evaluating symptoms reported by parents, improvement in at least one was observed after CBD initiation in 18 patients (90 %) and no improvement in two (10 %) (1 worsening, 1 no response). In the responders, 83.5 % (n = 76) of all reported symptoms improved. Regarding the secondary outcomes based on the assessment with different scales, improvement of around 30 % was found in irritability, social withdrawal, hyperactivity. Restricted and repetitive behavior improved in nine (50 %), while no changes were seen in seven (38.8 %). Sleep patterns were found to be slightly improved. Adverse effects were reported in 13 patients (65 %), mainly consisting of increased irritability and decreased appetite, but were mild or moderate and transient in all. In 40 % of the children, concomitant medication could be reduced or partially discontinued.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that treatment with purified CBD is effective and safe and could benefit patients with severe ASD by improving some of the core symptoms, including repetitive behaviors and social interaction, as well as associated comorbidities. The families considered the quality of life to have improved.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39965749/

“Treatment with cannabidiol improved the quality of life of patients and their families.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091305725000188?via%3Dihub

“The highly lipophilic nature and low aqueous solubility of cannabidiol (CBD) limit its oral bioavailability, resulting in poor intestinal absorption. To overcome these limitations, we proposed the production of a nanoemulsion with CBD to be included in the therapeutic treatment of autism spectrum disorder.

The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of CBD-rich corn oil nanoemulsion treatment in male rats born to females exposed to valproic acid (VPA) during pregnancy on autistic-like behaviors and hippocampal histology. Offspring rats were treated orally twice daily with CBD nanoemulsions at different doses (1 and 2 mg/animal). The endpoints evaluated were anxiety, grooming time, exploratory activity, sociability, the social preference index, and hippocampal and cerebral cortex histology. All formulations were characterized as nanoemulsions and showed a reduced vesicle size (107.6 – 72.6 nm), low PDI (0.290-0.432), negative zeta potential (-40.6 mv), and good stability. Prenatal exposure to VPA increased anxiety and grooming time, and reduced exploratory activity, sociability, and the social preference index in the animals. Furthermore, VPA-exposed animals exhibited elevated neuronal death and a reduction in viable cells in the hippocampus.

In conclusion, CBD nanoemulsion treatment reversed autistic-like behaviors, potentially by protecting against hippocampal neuronal death.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39936657/

https://www.scielo.br/j/aabc/a/jkp56mWRhknfsvMytM7qzWc/?lang=en

“Cannabidiol (CBD), the major non-psychotomimetic compound of the Cannabis sativa plant, has shown promising effects in addressing various symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

This neurodevelopmental disorder typically impacts cognitive, behavioral, social communication, and motor skills domains. However, effective treatments for the wide range of symptoms associated with the disorder are limited and may trigger undesirable effects.

Embryonic exposure to valproic acid (VPA, 500 mg/kg at 12^° day embryonic age) in rodents is a consolidated environmental model for studying behavioral and molecular characteristics related to ASD. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether acute CBD could reverse behavioral impairments in adult mice (eight weeks) exposed to VPA in the embryonic period in four distinct trials.

In independent groups of animals, the following assays were conducted: I) Pre-Pulse Inhibition Test (PPI), II) Marble Burying, III) Social Interaction, IV) Actimeter Test, and V) Novel Object Recognition Test (NOR). In the PPI paradigm, mice exposed to VPA showed PPI impairment, and CBD (30 and 60 mg/kg) reversed this disruption. CBD (60 mg/kg) respectively decreased the number of buried marbles, improved social interaction time, but failed to reduce stereotyped-like movements in the VPA group. In NOR test CBD at both doses reversed the impairment in index of recognition induced in VPA group.

These findings suggest that acute CBD administration can ameliorate behavioral impairments associated with ASD in a well-established animal model for studying this neurodevelopmental disorder.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39615556/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091305724002132?via%3Dihub

“Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological disease and lifelong condition. The treatment gap in ASD has led to growing interest in alternative therapies, particularly in phytocannabinoids, which are naturally present in Cannabis sativa.

Studies indicate that treatment with cannabidiol (CBD)-rich cannabis may possess the potential to improve fundamental ASD symptoms as well as comorbid symptoms. This systematic review aims to assess the safety and efficacy of CBD-rich cannabis in alleviating the symptoms of ASD in both children and adults, addressing the treatment gap and growing interest in CBD as an alternative treatment.

A comprehensive literature search was conducted in February 2024 using the PUBMED and Scopus databases while following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The search focused on studies from 2020 onward involving human populations diagnosed with ASD and treated with CBD. Four studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. The review included 353 participants with ASD from studies conducted in Israel, Turkey, and Brazil. The studies varied in design, sample size, dose, and treatment duration.

Dosages of CBD were often combined with trace amounts of THC. Improvements were noted in behavioral symptoms, social responsiveness, and communication, but cognitive benefits were less consistent. Adverse effects ranged in severity. Mild effects such as somnolence and decreased appetite were common, while more concerning effects, including increased aggression, led to some cases of treatment discontinuation.

CBD-rich cannabis shows promise in improving behavioral symptoms associated with ASD. However, variations in study designs, dosages, and outcome measures highlight the need for standardized assessment tools and further research to understand pharmacological interactions and optimize treatment protocols. Despite the mild adverse effects observed, larger, well-controlled trials are necessary to establish comprehensive safety and efficacy profiles.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39596518/

https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/25/22/12453

“Recently, the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased from 1 in 150 to every 1 in 36 children in the United States, warranting a need for novel prevention and therapeutic strategies.

Broad-spectrum cannabidiol oil, free from delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component of cannabis, may be one such therapeutic. It has a high safety profile and is frequently used as a complementary and integrative intervention by persons experiencing symptoms of anxiety, stress, and inflammation.

Using a neurodevelopmental rat model of ASD (based on neuroinflammation induced by stress and terbutaline exposure during pre- and postnatal development), we sought to prevent the development of ASD-like behaviors in male offspring by administering broad-spectrum cannabidiol oil to dams throughout pregnancy (10 mg/kg, i.p., daily, embryonic days 3-16). To assess an ASD-like phenotype in the offspring, we used three behavioral measures relevant to three core ASD symptoms: 1) social communication (time spent vocalizing when alone); 2) repetitive behavior (marbles buried during a marble burying test); and 3) social interaction (time spent interacting with a novel conspecific during the three-chamber social interaction test).

Broad-spectrum cannabidiol oil given during pregnancy decreased scores for all three ASD-related behavioral responses, resulting in an overall significant prevention of the ASD-like phenotype. These findings highlight the potential of broad-spectrum cannabidiol oil as a complementary and integrative approach for prevention of stressor-induced sequelae relevant to development of an ASD-like phenotype.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39170798/

• “•CBD prevented an overall autistic-like phenotype from developing in male rats.
• •CBD may be an appropriate complementary prenatal neuroinflammatory preventative.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354624001066?via%3Dihub