CBD treatment reversed recognition memory deficits and social interaction problems in female rats from a maternal immune activation model of schizophrenia, while also normalizing glutamate receptor levels in the prefrontal cortex.
Researchers studying CBD as a psychiatric treatment and those interested in sex-specific effects of cannabinoids.
CBD normalized NMDA receptor binding in prefrontal cortex
What the researchers found
Three weeks of CBD treatment (10 mg/kg) restored recognition memory and social interaction in female poly I:C offspring. CBD also normalized NMDA receptor binding in the prefrontal cortex and increased GABA-related markers in the hippocampus. However, CBD reduced social behavior in healthy control rats.
Why it matters
Most schizophrenia research uses male animals. This study specifically tested CBD in female offspring, addressing a significant gap given that sex differences exist in schizophrenia onset and treatment response.
The numbers in context
CBD dose: 10 mg/kg daily for ~3 weeks. 16 pregnant rats total. CBD restored recognition memory and sociability in poly I:C offspring but reduced social interaction in control rats.
How the study worked
Pregnant rats received poly I:C (immune activation) or saline on gestational day 15. Female offspring received CBD (10 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle for three weeks starting at postnatal day 56. Behavioral testing included novel object recognition, T-maze, and social interaction. Brain tissue was analyzed for endocannabinoid, glutamate, and GABA markers.
What this study cannot tell us
Animal model; results may not translate to humans. Only one CBD dose was tested. The negative effects of CBD on control rats warrant further investigation.
How to read the evidence
Preliminary: single animal study using one dose in a maternal immune activation model.
When this study was published
Published in 2019.
The bigger picture
CBD is being investigated as a potential antipsychotic. This study supports its benefits in a disease model but raises a caution: CBD may have different effects in healthy versus disease-state brains.
Questions still open
- Why did CBD reduce social behavior in healthy rats but improve it in disease-model rats? Would different doses produce different results? How do these findings compare to the male offspring data from the same model?
Common questions
What is the maternal immune activation model?
Why did CBD hurt healthy rats but help the disease model?
Read the original research
Cannabidiol improves behavioural and neurochemical deficits in adult female offspring of the maternal immune activation (poly I:C) model of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Brain, behavior, and immunity, 81, 574-587
Citation
Osborne, Ashleigh L; Solowij, Nadia; Babic, Ilijana; Lum, Jeremy S; Huang, Xu-Feng; Newell, Kelly A; Weston-Green, Katrina. (2019). Cannabidiol improves behavioural and neurochemical deficits in adult female offspring of the maternal immune activation (poly I:C) model of neurodevelopmental disorders.. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 81, 574-587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2019.07.018
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