The CBD Effect on Cognition

CBD has been found to cbd effect on cognition cognitive function in preclinical models of neuropsychiatric (schizophrenia) and neurodegenerative disease (Alzheimer’s) dementia, and neuro-inflammatory disorders (meningitis and cerebral malaria). It also appears to normalize levels and function of the immune protein IL-6, which is associated with high inflammation levels in Alzheimer’s. This finding, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, was made by Hesam Khodadadi, a graduate student in Babak’s lab and the study’s first author.

To determine the cbd effect on cognition, participants were randomly assigned to placebo, 400 mg or 800 mg of CBD per day for four weeks and underwent various cognitive tasks during these sessions. Performance on each task was compared to baseline and to the placebo treatment, using linear mixed-effects models. Results showed that CBD improved performance on all tasks except for delayed prose memory, which was the primary outcome measure, and in both order conditions. However, neither order effect was significant for the other cognitive measures.

Mind Matters: Unraveling the Complex Relationship Between CBD and Cognition

Using functional MRI, we found that acute CBD modulated brain activity in the medial temporal cortex and striatum during verbal memory processing in people at clinical high risk for psychosis and patients with established psychosis. This is consistent with prior studies suggesting that CBD modulates the limbic system during psychosis risk and emotion processing. In contrast, CBD did not affect resting limbic activity or metabolite levels in healthy controls. These findings suggest that the effects of CBD on these regions may be task independent.