CBD treatment prevented memory deficits and reduced brain inflammation in mice with cerebral malaria, increasing survival and rescuing cognitive function even after the disease peaked.
Read this if you're interested in CBD's neuroprotective properties and their potential medical applications.
CBD increased BDNF and reduced inflammatory cytokines in brain
What the researchers found
Researchers infected mice with a malaria parasite that causes cerebral malaria and treated them with CBD (30mg/kg/day). CBD-treated mice showed improved survival and were protected from the memory deficits and anxiety that normally accompany the disease.
At the peak of disease (day 5), infected mice showed increased inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha and IL-6) in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. CBD treatment reduced these inflammatory markers and increased BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) in the hippocampus, a protein essential for learning and memory.
The memory protection persisted even after the parasites were cleared with antimalarial drugs, suggesting CBD prevented lasting brain damage rather than just temporarily masking symptoms. The findings point to CBD's anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties as the mechanisms.
Why it matters
Cerebral malaria kills hundreds of thousands annually, and survivors often suffer permanent neurological damage. If CBD can prevent brain damage as an adjunct to antimalarial treatment, it could improve outcomes for survivors in resource-limited settings.
The numbers in context
CBD dose: 30mg/kg/day for 3 or 7 days. Assessed at day 5 post-infection (peak disease) and after parasite clearance. TNF-alpha and IL-6 reduced by CBD in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. BDNF increased in hippocampus.
How the study worked
Controlled animal study using a mouse model of cerebral malaria. Female mice were infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA and treated with CBD, antimalarial artesunate, or combinations. Memory and anxiety were assessed using Novel Object Recognition, Morris Water Maze, Open Field, and Elevated Plus Maze tests. Brain cytokines and neurotrophins were measured.
What this study cannot tell us
Mouse model of cerebral malaria does not perfectly replicate human disease. CBD doses used may not translate directly to human dosing. The study was relatively small and used a single CBD dose level. Human clinical trials in malaria have not been conducted.
How to read the evidence
Controlled animal study with multiple behavioral and molecular outcomes. No human data for this application.
When this study was published
Published in 2015. CBD neuroprotection research has expanded into other disease models since.
The bigger picture
CBD's neuroprotective effects in this malaria model align with findings from other disease models involving neuroinflammation. The common thread is CBD's ability to reduce brain inflammation and support neurotrophin production, which may have broad applications beyond any single disease.
Questions still open
- Could CBD serve as adjunctive therapy for cerebral malaria in humans? Is the neuroprotective effect dose-dependent? Would CBD help prevent neurological damage in other infectious brain diseases?
Common questions
Can CBD protect the brain from infection-related damage?
How does CBD protect the brain?
Read the original research
Cannabidiol increases survival and promotes rescue of cognitive function in a murine model of cerebral malaria.
Neuroscience, 289, 166-80
Citation
Campos, A C; Brant, F; Miranda, A S; Machado, F S; Teixeira, A L. (2015). Cannabidiol increases survival and promotes rescue of cognitive function in a murine model of cerebral malaria.. Neuroscience, 289, 166-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.12.051
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