A recent literature review found that cannabidiol (CBD) may hold promise for treating various neurocognitive conditions. The review was published in Frontiers in Pharmacology.
Cannabidiol is a phytocannabinoid derived from the cannabis plant that boasts anxiolytic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiemetic, and antipsychotic effects. In the current review, researchers analyzed 16 randomized trials to investigate the effects of CBD on anxiety and cognitive impairment.
Ultimately, 9 of the 16 trials yielded positive results. The researchers noted that factors including diversity of the study population, variability in trial design, small sample size, underpowered studies, and uncontrolled results for comorbidities might explain some of the variability in results. They added that other factors such as dose, formulation, method of administration, length of CBD treatment, BMI, age, race, and food consumption may additionally explain the variability.
Nevertheless, the researchers deduced that single oral doses of 300 mg to 1,500 mg or vaporized doses of 13.75 mg of CBD were effective in reducing anxiety and improving cognition among participants with conditions including PTSD, anxiety, substance abuse with heroin and cannabis, schizophrenia, and healthy subjects.
Moreover, the doses had a good safety profile and were not associated with any drug addiction behaviors. The researchers further noted that CBD has potential properties that may be tested for treating Alzheimer’s disease in the future.
“In summary, although many of the studies support the notion that CBD is a promising compound for treating cognitive disorders, there is insufficient evidence to safely conclude that CBD is a good candidate for this purpose. Of 16 studied trials, nine significantly showed improvement in cognitive issues over a range of CBD doses. However, the absence of a general pattern makes it difficult to generate a common recommendation, and more trials are needed for conclusive evidence of CBD’s beneficial role on cognition,” concluded the researchers in their paper.
Sources: News-Medical.net, Frontiers in Pharmacology