Researchers from USP Ribeirão Preto and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) found, in tests with mice, that cannabidiol was able to reverse several characteristic symptoms of ASD. The findings were published in the journal Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior.

The animals, exposed to valproic acid (VPA) during the embryonic phase, showed cognitive impairments, difficulties in social interaction, and repetitive behaviors - common characteristics in autism.

After treatment with CBD, there was a significant improvement: the rodents showed increased sociability, restoration of information processing, and reversal of cognitive deficits.

The results reinforce the potential of cannabidiol as a therapeutic alternative, although still in the preclinical phase, highlighted postdoctoral fellow João Francisco Cordeiro Pedrazzi, from the Ribeirão Preto Medical School (USP), under the supervision of Professor José Alexandre Crippa.

Ongoing clinical studies

Although the use of CBD in patients with ASD already occurs off-label, researchers emphasize the need for robust clinical studies. Pedrazzi informed that his team recently completed a clinical trial comparing CBD and placebo in autistic children, with results to be disclosed soon.

Currently, treatment options mainly include behavioral therapies and medications such as antipsychotics and antidepressants, which can lead to long-term side effects. In this scenario, CBD emerges as an alternative deserving further investigation.

In Brazil, access to cannabidiol has been advancing. Since 2023, the SUS in São Paulo has been distributing CBD-based medications for free, a measure that increases the possibility for patients to safely test the compound. For researchers, expanding multicenter studies and registering specific medications for ASD will be essential.

With information from USP Journal.

Read Also:

Boy with autism says “Daddy” for the first time after treatment with medicinal cannabis

Autism and Medicinal Cannabis: science and society walking together