The list of things that marijuana could be used for in the medical arena gets bigger and bigger as more research and studies are conducted. It seems now that an active compound in the drug, once isolated, has the potential of treating symptoms of schizophrenia.

A new study by researchers at the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), published in Nature Journal, are looking into what cannabidiol can do for mental illness.

Studies have already concluded that cannabidiol was able to help in cognition in Alzheimer’s disease patients and stroke victims. Now it could help in social behavior. One symptom of schizophrenia is social withdrawal.

The research team used a rodent model of schizophrenia (treating rats to untreated rats) and found that cannabidiol helped restore recognition, working memory, as well as social behavior.

Ashleigh Osborn, a PhD candidate at University of Wollongong said, “We wanted to see if Cannabidiol could alleviate the symptoms of schizophrenia that aren’t addressed by current antipsychotic drugs.” She has suggested the findings could potentially lead to it being used as a pharmaceutical drug.

“This is really important because current antipsychotic drugs don’t address the cognitive deficits, which approximately 80 per cent of patients with schizophrenia experience.”

“Also antipsychotic drugs come with a range of negative side effects and Cannabidiol showed no weight gain side effects.”

Osborne has also said more research would be necessary for any clinical trials to begin.

“This is the first study to prove Cannabidiol can be used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia that aren’t addressed by current medications,” she said.

“These findings are really promising but further research is needed to see if these findings translate to people suffering from schizophrenia.

“Ultimately, we hope that these findings lead to new improved medications.”


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