NCT03537950

Shifting Brain Excitation-Inhibition Balance in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Shifting Brain Excitation-Inhibition Balance Through the Endocannabinoid System in Men With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and in Healthy Controls

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 38 (actual)
• Sponsor: King's College London · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 18 Years – 50 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study investigates brain response to single acute dose of cannabidiol, cannabidivarin, and placebo in healthy men with and without autism spectrum disorder

Detailed description

Previous research suggests that cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabidivarin (CBDV) could have the potential to shift brain excitation and inhibition (E-I) in the healthy brain and in neurodevelopmental psychiatric conditions, where this balance is disrupted, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, no study to date has investigated this. Therefore, in this study, we invited 20 healthy men with and without ASD. Each participant received each drug once (600mg CBD/CBDV, or matched placebo) and magnetic resonance imaging was used to obtain measures of brain biochemistry, activity, and connectivity. We further obtained questionnaires, task data, saliva, urine and blood samples, and conducted visual tasks using eye tracking, electroencephalography, and retinal imaging.

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	PLC	Single oral dose of PLC.
DRUG	CBD	Single oral dose of cannabidiol (CBD) - 600mg.
DRUG	CBDV	Single oral dose of cannabidivarin (CBDV) - 600mg.

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-08-22
• Primary completion: 2017-02-16
• Completion: 2017-03-01
• First posted: 2018-05-25
• Last updated: 2024-03-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom