Potential of cannabinoids as treatments for autism spectrum disorders

Nezgovorova, Vera; Ferretti, Casara Jean; Taylor, Brian; Shanahan, Emily Catherine; Uzunova, Genoveva; Hong, Kevin C.; Devinsky, Orrin; Hollander, Eric

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.02.048

Cited by 11 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 95 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It was reported that the FAAH inhibitor PF3845 enhanced AEA signaling and weakened the discrepancy in social behavior in VPA rats [19]. Another inhibitor of FAAH enzyme, URB597 improved social deficits, repetitive behaviors, and abnormal emotion-related behaviors in VPA-exposed offspring [78]. The results were produced by the deletion of postsynaptic α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs) subunits GluA1 and GluA2 and helped to characterize the mechanism of AEA signaling in the prefrontal cortex [78].…”

Section: Changes In the Endocannabinoid System In Autismmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Additional studies have established the connection between the endocannabinoid system and autism. Lowered CB1 receptor level was found in postmortem brains of autistic patients [78]. Stimulation of the CB1 receptors either directly by the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN55212-2, or indirectly by a 2-AG hydrolysis in-hibitor, increases the spatial memory performance of rats under stress conditions [97].…”

Section: Changes In the Endocannabinoid System In Autismmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…CB2 receptors are also expressed in microglia and astrocytes, which may be critical to ASDrelated neuroinflammation [77]. Immune dysfunction, increased autoimmune activity and inflammatory responses are associated with microglial activation in patients with ASD [78]. Microglia activation, increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and augmented expression of the microglial activation-related genes are the results of the pro-inflammatory status of the immune system in autism [78][79][80][81].…”

Section: Changes In the Endocannabinoid System In Autismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Immune dysfunction, increased autoimmune activity and inflammatory responses are associated with microglial activation in patients with ASD [78]. Microglia activation, increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and augmented expression of the microglial activation-related genes are the results of the pro-inflammatory status of the immune system in autism [78][79][80][81]. Moreover, the mRNA and protein for CB2 receptor and endocannabinoid enzymes were significantly changed in animal models of autism, demonstrating the involvement of the ECS in ASD-associated immunological disturbances [52,70].…”

Section: Changes In the Endocannabinoid System In Autismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies focused on children with autism have shown alterations of the immune system such as variation in monocyte and macrophage reactions, abnormal T helper cytokine levels, reduced numbers of lymphocytes, and abnormal immunoglobulin levels [82][83][84][85][86][87]. In addition, an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines was associated with more regressive forms of autism and more pronounced stereotypical behaviors [78].…”

Section: Changes In the Endocannabinoid System In Autismmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Autism and associated disorders: cannabis as a potential therapy

Babayeva¹,

Assefa²,

Basu³

et al. 2022

Front. Biosci. (Elite Ed)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of disabilities with impairments in physical, verbal, and behavior areas. Regardless the growing frequency of autism, no medicine has been formed for the management of the ASD primary symptoms. The most frequently prescribed drugs are off-label. Therefore, there is necessity for an advance tactic for the treatment of autism. The endocannabinoid system has a central role in ruling emotion and social behaviors. Dysfunctions of the system donate to the behavioral deficits in autism. Therefore, the endocannabinoid system represents a potential target for the development of a novel autism therapy. Cannabis and associated compounds have produced substantial research attention as a capable therapy in neurobehavioral and neurological syndromes. In this review we examine the potential benefits of medical cannabis and related compounds in the treatment of ASD and concurrent disorders.

show abstract

Section: Changes In the Endocannabinoid System In Autismmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Changes In the Endocannabinoid System In Autismmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Changes In the Endocannabinoid System In Autismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Changes In the Endocannabinoid System In Autismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Changes In the Endocannabinoid System In Autismmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Autism and associated disorders: cannabis as a potential therapy

Babayeva¹,

Assefa²,

Basu³

et al. 2022

Front. Biosci. (Elite Ed)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Implications of the endocannabinoid system and the therapeutic action of cannabinoids in autism spectrum disorder: A literature review

Camargo¹,

Júnior²,

Silva³

et al. 2022

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Children and adolescents with ASD treated with CBD-rich cannabis exhibit significant improvements particularly in social symptoms: an open label study

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In recent years there has been growing interest in the potential benefits of CBD-rich cannabis treatment for children with ASD. Several open label studies and one double-blind placebo-controlled study have reported that CBD-rich cannabis is safe and potentially effective in reducing disruptive behaviors and improving social communication. However, previous studies have mostly based their conclusions on parental reports without the use of standardized clinical assessments. Here, we conducted an open label study to examine the efficacy of 6 months of CBD-rich cannabis treatment in children and adolescents with ASD. Longitudinal changes in social communication abilities and restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) were quantified using parent report with the Social Responsiveness Scale and clinical assessment with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). We also quantified changes in adaptive behaviors using the Vineland, and cognitive abilities using an age-appropriate Wechsler test. Eighty-two of the 110 recruited participants completed the 6-month treatment protocol. While some participants did not exhibit any improvement in symptoms, there were overall significant improvements in social communication abilities as quantified by the ADOS, SRS, and Vineland with larger improvements in participants who had more severe initial symptoms. Significant improvements in RRB were noted only with parent-reported SRS scores and there were no significant changes in cognitive scores. These findings suggest that treatment with CBD-rich cannabis can yield improvements, particularly in social communication abilities, which were visible even when using standardized clinical assessments. Additional double-blind placebo-controlled studies utilizing standardized assessments are highly warranted for substantiating these findings.

show abstract

Potential of cannabinoids as treatments for autism spectrum disorders

Cited by 11 publications

References 95 publications

Autism and associated disorders: cannabis as a potential therapy

Autism and associated disorders: cannabis as a potential therapy

Implications of the endocannabinoid system and the therapeutic action of cannabinoids in autism spectrum disorder: A literature review

Children and adolescents with ASD treated with CBD-rich cannabis exhibit significant improvements particularly in social symptoms: an open label study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About