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A recent study has shown that CBD can reduce the psychoactive effects of THC – a discovery which could advance the clinical application of medical cannabis.
Alberto Sainz-Cort of the Open University of Catalonia and research master in neuroscience at GH Medical in Amsterdam, who led the research team, said the findings could be very important for medical patients using THC-based medication to treat problems such as chronic pain, or to counteract the impact of chemotherapy.
“These results mean that patients can have their symptoms relieved without getting high,” he said. “Not only would this help the physician to counteract the effects of THC on the patient during their treatment, it could also enable them to increase the dose of THC if necessary because the likelihood of the medication giving the patient psychotic symptoms are reduced.”
Sainz (pictured) will present the paper, “Opposite roles for cannabidiol and δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in psychotomimetic effects of cannabis extracts”, at the CBD Hemp Business Fair in Barcelona this weekend.
The findings also have implications for the understanding and treatment of mental health conditions.
Brain function, psychosis and schizophrenia
The conclusion, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, states that the results substantiate the link between the endocannabinoid system and psychotic-like symptoms. This also has important implications for the understanding of schizophrenia, as well as the therapeutic potential of CBD as an anti-psychotic.
“Any understanding of how CBD works on the brain helps neuroscience because we are understanding how the brain works and which receptors are targeted by the cannabinoids,” said Sainz. “It also has implications for people who want to use cannabis at home during the day without getting high.”
An important factor of the study is that the research was undertaken in real-world situations, rather than a laboratory. The researchers chose to carry out the research using participants who frequented cannabis clubs in Barcelona – places where private members meet to use cannabis from a dispensary at the venue.
Sainz claims that carrying out the research in a home-style environment which the users regularly frequent to consume cannabis is important because the participants feel more relaxed. If they were in a less natural environment, such as a hospital or laboratory, they are more likely to feel tense, which could skew the results.
“This is a naturalistic study so we bring the lab to the place where the users are using cannabis,” he said. “This is very important because psychological monitors can bias the results. If the users feel comfortable and relaxed, they won’t feel paranoid or judged, which alters the psychological variables.”
Empathy and theory of mind
The conclusion of the study also states that it demonstrates how reliable methodologies can be implemented in real-life situations to collect valid ecological evidence outside classic laboratory settings.
Sainz will also be presenting the results of another “naturalistic” study into how THC and CBD impact social cognition at the CBD Hemp Business Fair.
Led by Sainz and his team, the study of “The effects of cannabidiol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in social cognition” looked at the substances’ effects on abilities such as empathy and the theory of mind (ToM).
This can be of special interest for the clinical practice of using medical cannabis to treat psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia or autism. The results claim to show for the first time that CBD can improve ToM abilities in chronic cannabis users.
“We also wanted to see how THC and CBD affect social cognition,” said Sainz. “It’s a psychological construct related to empathy and how the thinking of the third person is perceived. THC is going to reduce the ability for social cognition and CBD improves this.”
– Lorraine Mullaney CBD-Intel staff
- Alberto Sainz will be speaking about both these studies in further detail at the CBD Hemp Business Fair in Barcelona from 7th to 9th October.
