Cannabidiol, cognition and schizophrenia: a narrative review

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder affecting about 1% of the population. It is characterised by multiple symptoms which are mostly responsive to treatment with antipsychotic medications. Cognitive impairment is regarded as a core feature of illness which is mostly poorly responsive to treatment with the current antipsychotic medications. Improving cognitive function is an important treatment goal as it is associated with better outcomes in employment and quality of life. Adjunctive pharmacological treatments have been examined to improve measures of cognition but with limited success. Cannabidiol (CBD), has shown promise in preclinical models of cognitive deficits of schizophrenia. On the other hand, limited studies in small groups of patients with schizophrenia have shown no significant clinical benefits for cognitive function as an adjunct to ongoing treatment with antipsychotics. A single trial, in which CBD as a standalone treatment was compared to the antipsychotic medication amisulpride, showed significant changes in cognitive measures for both agents, with no statistically significant difference between them. It might therefore be concluded that the preclinical findings have failed to translate to the clinic. However, the preclinical findings themselves are based on a circumscribed set of studies in multiple cognitive models and have used varying doses and routes of drug administration. The same general methodological issues are present in the suite of clinical studies. Issues such as patient heterogeneity in terms of illness duration, formulation and dose of CBD employed, and length of cannabinoid treatment might militate positive findings. The limited clinical database available makes the benefits (or lack thereof) of CBD for the cognitive effects of schizophrenia uncertain. Continued research in much larger patient populations than have so far been investigated as well as a consideration of dose ranging studies are required to fully assess the potential risks against the benefits of CBD treatment for cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.