Historically, whenever cannabis has been mentioned in the same breath as the brain, it’s normally been from a negative perspective. The plant is psychoactive and has mind-altering properties, which research suggests can increase the risk of psychosis and schizophrenia, and cause paranoia and anxiety during a trip.
However, this means taking a simplistic view of cannabis, and not considering the hundreds of compounds and cannabinoids in the herb. Indeed, the intoxicating properties are mostly contained in the delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cannabinoid – the majority of compounds are non-psychoactive.
One of these fascinating non-psychoactive cannabinoids is cannabidiol (CBD), which has been highlighted as a remedy for a series of conditions of late, including epilepsy and anxiety – sales of wholesale CBD vape oil have rocketed. CBD is present in differing concentrations in strains of hemp and cannabis and looks to be essential for modulating the endocannabinoid system(ECS), which controls several emotional and physical health variables.
In addition to the aforementioned, CBD is also being studied as a novel treatment for depression, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease and, somewhat ironically, schizophrenia and psychosis.Let’s take a look at how.
CBD and depression
The past few decades have shown that depression is a complex mental disorder that needs a range of treatment options. Some patients respond well to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor(SSRI) drugs, but for others they are rendered useless by being slow to take effect, if they work at all.
It is difficult to treat an illness with no definite cause, and researchers do not precisely understand why SSRIs are effective. However, studies in recent years indicate that brain inflammation and structural changes could have a significant role to play in depression.
Some studies have connected depression to a dysfunctional hippocampus, a brain region associated with memory and mood control. With cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) present in the hippocampus,it’s feasible that CBD can have a therapeutic effect. And indeed, rat models have demonstrated that CBD can speed up the production of new brain cells, a process called neurogenesis. Another non-psychoactive cannabinoid, cannabichromene (CBC),displays similar neuroprotective properties to CBD.
A future human study on the effects of CBD on the hippocampus in depressive patients, conducted in a clinical setting,would tell us much more.
CBD and Alzheimer’s
Sticking with the hippocampus, this section of the brain is also implicated in the neurodegenerative disease Alzheimer’s –this is logical given that long-term memories are created and stored in the hippocampus. Researchers have found a strong correlation between shrinkage in the hippocampus and Alzheimer’s disease.
Cognitive decline is an inevitability overtime, but Alzheimer’s patients experience a more rapid loss in brain function.Modern science suggests this is caused by adverse physical changes to the brain, and therefore hints that reversing this effect may be a successful form of treatment.
While THC can cause volume loss in certain parts of the hippocampus, we know that CBD has the opposite effect, even if there are no studies directly considering the effect of CBD on patients with Alzheimer’s. Since 2017, a Brazilian patient with the disease has been prescribed CBD oil. It may take years before we know the true benefits, if any,of CBD for Alzheimer’s, but this may offer the first genuine indication.
CBD and traumatic brain injury
Cannabinoid scientists have discovered that levels ofendocannabinoids increase following a brain injury, and that they are involved with limiting the damage and repairing the organ by modulating cell death, neuroinflammation and more.
CBD is perhaps the safest way to increase levels of endocannabinoids, as the cannabinoid does so subtly and non-aggressively. Inhibiting activity among catabolic enzymes which degrade endocannabinoids, such as fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) ensures there are more of these compounds in the body to bind with cannabinoid receptors.
CBD: psychosis and schizophrenia
The medicinal potential of CBD for psychosis and schizophrenia seems most unlikely, but the explanation is remarkably simple. The reason that cannabis is much stronger than in years gone by is because of the rising levels of psychoactive THC and the declining levels of CBD. The lower concentrations of CBD are essential for cultivating psychoactivecannabis, as this cannabinoid is an antagonist of the CB1 receptor, in contrast to THC which is an agonist.
This is the mechanism in which CBD appears to exert most of its antipsychotic effects. A 2012 review identified the temporal cortex and the striatum as regions where CBD instigates its therapeutic impact. However, despite these encouraging signals, there is yet to be a comprehensive clinical study on the therapeutic value of CBD as an antipsychotic.