EVALUATION OF THE THERAPEUTIC USE OF CANNABIDIOL TO REDUCE SYMPTOMS OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER Larissa Cunha Rebouças, Melissa de Andrade Silva, Naiara Hilger da Silva, Vitor Alvarez da Silva Figueira, José Eduardo Pandini Cardoso Filho

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a disorder characterized by behavioral differences in social interaction and communication, not to mention restrictive and repetitive interests. Its treatment is not restricted to just one specific medication to reduce symptoms, but rather to a multidisciplinary approach that will intervene in the scope of education and behavior and different classes of drugs. However, a new means of obtaining better results in this reduction of symptoms has been investigated, which consists of the therapeutic use of cannabidiol (CBD). The objective of the present study is to evaluate the therapeutic use of CBD to reduce the symptoms of ASD. A bibliographic review was carried out with information collected in the following databases: Scientific Library Science (Scielo), Google Scholar, PubMed and government websites. These articles were published in the last 9 years, using as descriptors Cannabis, cannabidiol, CBD and Autism Spectrum Disorder/autism. With this research, we point out the advantage of using CBD as a possible symptom reducer by acting on the endocannabinoid system on the CB1 and CB2 receptors, inhibiting the release of classic neurotransmitters and facilitating the neural hyperexcitability of individuals with ASD, which is generally very high. This study aims to contribute and provide support for new research, enabling new therapeutic strategies to act in improving the quality of life of patients with ASD. In it, we observed that the use of CBD presented improvements in behavioral outbreaks, communication problems, anxiety and stress, in addition to presenting antiepileptic action in more severe cases. Thus, the use of CBD has been shown to be effective in reducing patients' symptoms, as well as in improving the quality of life of family members and individuals around them. However, new in-depth clinical studies on the mechanism of action of CBD on ASD are necessary.