How CBD Impacts Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

In honor of autism awareness month, we at ReThink believe that highlighting autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the best way to raise awareness and educate society. By offering education, we can help create a more fruitful environment for those living with ASD. After all, about 1% of the global population is living with ASD. If you haven’t read our last blog introducing ASD and what it consists of, refer back to it for a refresher because in this blog, we will be digging deeper into the science of cannabidiol (CBD) and its impact on ASD.

One of the biggest issues surrounding ASD is that no matter how many adults and children live with it and how much research has been done, there aren’t any concrete or truly effective ways to help diagnosed individuals. Because ASD involves difficulties with social interaction, communicating, and other cognitive functions and each case is vastly different, there are many who struggle to feel like they belong and often find it difficult to be fully integrated within society.

Recent scientific studies demonstrate that there is an interest in looking into cannabinoids, specifically cannabidiol (CBD) for use as a co-treatment, or monotreatment to help manage ASD symptoms and comorbidities such as anxiety, drastic mood changes, etc. Currently, there are very few treatments for ASD. Some include pharmaceutical treatments that are only used in cases with high comorbidities related to psychosis and severe cognitive performance. SSRIs are also used to help combat anxiety levels. It is also common for autistic individuals to undergo cognitive behavioral or educational therapy to help aid them in daily life interactions and tasks. The issue with these treatments is that they do not treat the more pressing issues accompanied with ASD and they could lead to severe side effects.

When taking a closer dive into the world of cannabinoids, we see that the endocannabinoid system plays a major role in the metabolization and interaction of CBD with the body. The ECS is sort of like a highway with various lanes that all lead to different destinations and has neuromodulating functions. Neuromodulation leads to changes in cognitive and emotional changes. In ASD patients, there are observable changes to the ECS system which often times can manifest into seizures, anxiety, irregular sleep patterns, and more. The ECS consists of various enzymes, endocannabinoids, and receptors. One of the main endocannabinoids, anandamide (the bliss molecule), presents itself in lower concentrations in those with ASD. This could very well point to a correlation between low anandamide levels and a presentation of ASD. Another study demonstrated that there was a link between anandamide functions/levels with that of oxytocin. Oxytocin is known as the love hormone responsible for social bonding, feelings of love/warmth, birth labor contractions, breastfeeding and much more. Oxytocin is also released in positive social situations which plays a role in the brain’s perception of social reward. Without oxytocin, anandamide cannot induce social reward and if anandamide levels are too low, then social reward also becomes obsolete. This also supports the idea that administering oxytocin intranasally could be one part of the treatment.

When it comes to increasing anandamide levels, it is wise to supplement the body with cannabinoids such as CBD. Scientific studies demonstrate that consuming CBD inhibits the degradation of anandamide which in this case may increase social reward and prevent social impairment in ASD patients! Because ASD patients are highly likely to deal with anxiety, CBD is a great option with minimal to no negative side effects. CBD has been shown to decrease stress and anxiety levels by calming down the body through serotonin changes. We recommend our strongest CBD oil tinctures (1000/2000/3000mg) for those of you living with ASD or those of you who have family that live with ASD but are unaware of the benefits of CBD. While there is some research to support these findings, there is not enough research, and we try our best to find up to date studies for you! We hope that this provides a bit of clarity on the use of CBD for the management of ASD.