A new review of scientific research on the use of marijuana\u2019s components to treat autism spectrum disorder (ASD) finds that \u201cpreliminary evidence suggests potential benefits,\u201d including improvements around anxiety, sleep and behavior. But more work\u2014especially randomized controlled trials\u2014are needed \u201cto confirm these results and establish clear treatment guidelines,\u201d authors said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPreliminary findings suggest that CBD-rich formulations may provide modest benefits for sleep and social interaction, with a reduction in anxiety symptoms,\u201d says the peer-reviewed study, published in the journal Cureus. \u201cRegarding core ASD symptoms and behavioral outcomes, cannabinoids demonstrated greater efficacy compared to placebo in some studies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Researchers also acknowledged that \u201cadverse events varied\u201d among patients, and \u201cresponse to treatment was inconsistent across individuals,\u201d underscoring the need for further study.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile cannabinoids, particularly CBD-rich formulations, appear to be relatively safe and potentially beneficial,\u201d the new paper says, \u201cfurther large-scale, controlled trials comparing CBD to established ASD treatments are essential to clarify its role and long-term impact in ASD management.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 13-person team behind the new study includes researchers from various hospitals and universities in Brazil.<\/p>\n
Overall, they wrote, \u201cWhile preliminary evidence suggests potential benefits, particularly for anxiety, sleep, and behavior, the findings remain inconclusive due to study heterogeneity and methodological limitations.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the analysis, authors looked at seven studies involving 494 patients, focusing on \u201ckey clinical outcomes, such as sleep, autistic core symptoms, anxiety, behavior, social effects, and adverse events.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cImprovements were noted in anxiety, sleep quality, social effects, and behavior, although these findings varied across studies,\u201d they concluded. \u201cImportantly, adverse events were generally mild and occurred at similar rates in cannabinoid and placebo groups, supporting the intervention\u2019s safety profile.\u201d<\/p>\n
Studies also indicated \u201ca slight improvement\u201d in sleep quality, while \u201cautistic core symptoms showed positive responses\u201d the report says. \u201cSome studies also reported reductions in hyperactivity, agitation, self-injurious behavior, and epilepsy, along with improvements in communication skills, attention, and eye contact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Drowsiness was the most common side effect, followed by decreased appetite, weight loss, anxiety and restlessness.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite these occurrences, cannabinoids are often considered well-tolerated compared to traditional pharmacological interventions,\u201d authors wrote. \u201cNonetheless, careful monitoring and individualized dosing are essential to minimize potential risks, and further research is necessary to fully elucidate the long-term safety of cannabinoid use in ASD treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the mechanism behind cannabis\u2019s influence on ASD, the study notes that \u201cCBD interacts with the ECS [endocannabinoid system], a critical signaling\u00a0network involved in neurodevelopment, social behavior, and homeostasis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmerging evidence also suggests its role in gut-brain communication, further linking it to ASD pathophysiology,\u201d the report continues. There\u2019s also some evidence from mouse models that CBD may reduce \u201crepetitive behaviors and anxiety related symptoms in ASD\u201d as well as signs that \u201d low doses of THC in specific formulations appear beneficial for social behaviors, though their long-term effects remain uncertain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of the obstacles to the research, authors acknowledged, are that intervention types, dosing regimens and outcome metrics varied from study to study. Other research omitted basic statistical data \u201csuch as means, standard deviations, and interquartile ranges,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n
\u201cVariation in cannabinoid formulations across studies makes it difficult to assess their true efficacy and safety,\u201d the paper adds, also noting the low number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and in some cases \u201cmethodological biases, particularly in patient selection and randomization.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMore rigorous, well-designed RCTs are necessary to confirm these results and establish clear treatment guidelines for cannabinoid use in ASD,\u201d the report<\/a> concludes.<\/p>\n The new review from researchers in Brazil comes on the heels of separate research finding that high-CBD, low-THC cannabis products have potential to \u201csignificantly improve the quality of life\u201d for children with autism<\/a> and epilepsy disorders.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile more research is necessary,\u201d authors of that study concluded, \u201cthis review, together with other reviews of the literature, suggests that medical cannabis is potentially a viable treatment option alongside established medical treatment guidelines. This is especially true for pediatric ASD.\u201d<\/p>\n Another, federally funded report published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that cannabis use during early pregnancy was not associated with child autism<\/a>.<\/p>\n That analysis included data from 178,948 pregnancies born to 146,296 unique individuals between 2011 and 2019. Children were screened at various points on autism and developmental measures.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this study, maternal prenatal cannabis use was not associated with childhood ASD after adjusting for potential cofounders,\u201d the research found, \u201cincluding sociodemographic characteristics, other noncannabis substance use and maternal comorbidities.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month, meanwhile, officials in Ohio agreed to advance autism spectrum disorder as a possible qualifying condition for medical marijuana<\/a>. The proposal next proceeds\u00a0to an open public comment period and expert review.<\/p>\n Connecticut added ASD as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis late last year<\/a>. Other states that already recognize the disorder as a specific eligible condition include Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Utah.<\/p>\n Police Drug Enforcement Operations Increase Risk Of Overdose Deaths, American Medical Association-Published Study Finds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post CBD-Rich Cannabis Offers \u2018Potential Benefits\u2019 For People With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Scientific Review Finds<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A new review of scientific research on the use of marijuana\u2019s components to treat autism spectrum disorder (ASD) finds that \u201cpreliminary evidence suggests potential benefits,\u201d including improvements around anxiety, sleep and behavior. But more work\u2014especially randomized controlled trials\u2014are needed \u201cto confirm these results and establish clear treatment guidelines,\u201d authors said.Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,15462],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80690"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80690"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80691,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80690\/revisions\/80691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: CBD-Rich Cannabis Offers \u2018Potential Benefits\u2019 For People With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Scientific Review Finds<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"