Can CBD be an Effective Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Jul 14, 2020 by CenTrial



Researchers are currently recruiting participants aged 7-14 for a clinical trial that aims to find out if cannabidiol, an extract of the cannabis plant, can moderate the behavioral problems associated with severe autism.

CBD cannot make you "high," and is widely used in therapies to reduce chronic pain, and in cancer treatment.  Other than famously treating severe epilepsy, scientific evidence about CBD's effectiveness has been almost non-existent. 

The current clinical trial is seeking 30 participants whO have been diagnosed with autism having severe symptoms, and will undergo behavioral testing, MRI scans, and electroencephalograms. (Children with epilepsy are excluded from this trial.)

In the first phase of the trial, half the participants will receive CBD, while the other half will receive a placebo, and in the second phase, the participants will switch what they are receiving. Investigators will not know which participants are getting the treatment in either phase. 

The trial is being conducted in San Diego at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. To learn more about the CBD-autism clinical trial, contact Lauren Smith at 619-627-1133.

This research will be among the first to determine scientifically if CDB actually does have medical efficacy. 

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