Israeli Researchers Shed Light On The Benefits Of THC Treatments For Autistic Patients

Scientists in Israel are announcing the promising results in mice who’ve used cannabis products, which made them less obsessive and more sociable. Researchers hope that this study could change the way patients receive treatments, specifically those with autism. 

Additionally, researchers are stressing that something is missing in medical cannabis treatments and that doctors might have been prescribing the wrong compound all along. Autistic patients are mostly using cannabidiol (CBD), the cannabinoid that doesn’t stimulate a high. 

In 2019, an Israel study by Tel Aviv University researchers did find some promising results for autistic patients using CBD-based cannabis products. Now, the university is undergoing a different study to examine how beneficial THC is as compared to CBD. THC seems a little intimating to the medical realm, simply because it’s the compound responsible for getting the user high.

The researchers at Tel Aviv University studied large numbers of autistic mice, and they found that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was definitely more effective than CBD in this particular group of autistic mice.

Researcher Shani Poleg told The Times of Israel that most studies don’t focus on what elements in the cannabis plant are helping people, but this study looks at those details and saw some interesting findings.

Not only was THC more effective, but the main difference was that “THC treatment also improved social behavior, not only repetitive compulsive behavior.” Although, she said that CBD did help mice in the study dealing with repetitive compulsive behavior.

Although THC makes the user high, the research shows that the amount of THC needed to provide beneficial results were minimal. Poleg said this study was a great example of how treating autism with medical cannabis oil doesn’t need “high contents of either CBD or THC.”

Poleg concluded that this study observed “significant improvement” in behavioral tests following treatments with cannabis oil containing minor amounts of THC. She said they found “no long-term effects in cognitive or emotional tests conducted” one or two months after beginning treatment.

Research has shown that autism involves over-arousal of the brain, which results in compulsive behavior. The new study at Tel Aviv University’s lab saw a significant decrease in the “concentration of the arousing neurotransmitter glutamate in the spinal fluid,” which explains the reduction in behavioral symptoms, according to Poleg. 

During the end of her interview with The Times of Israel, Poleg added that the study, supervised by Prof. Daniel Offen in the journal Translational Psychology, calls for more research on treating autism with CBD and THC.