How Does CBD Impact the Brain? A Deep Dive
CBD

How Does CBD Impact the Brain? A Deep Dive

Here’s what most people know about CBD’s effect on the brain: unlike THC, CBD doesn’t make you high. In more scientific terms, CBD use poses little risk of impairment or intoxication.

That difference between the primary effects of cannabis and those of CBD products is certainly important, but it doesn’t begin to describe the potential impact of CBD.

More than two hundred studies have looked into the subject, and we’ll be shedding light on some of their most important findings in this article. The potential effects linked to CBD include:

  • Mood Support
  • Stress Support
  • Promoting restful sleep

Let’s dig into the details, after an explanation of why CBD would interact with the human brain.

How CBD Affects the Brain

CBD (cannabidiol) is found in plants belonging to the cannabis sativa family, specifically the hemp plant and the cannabis plant.

CBD is one of more than 100 plant compounds, known collectively as cannabinoids, which can produce a variety of effects in the body. The best-known cannabinoid is psychoactive THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the key to marijuana’s trademark effects. Hemp plants contain only small amounts of THC, which is why commercially-available CBD is sourced from hemp.

That’s the big-picture explanation of how CBD doesn’t affect the brain; it doesn’t produce the euphoria, sensory distortions, or possible hallucinations commonly associated with cannabis use. But it doesn’t explain why the two cannabinoids can affect the brain.

The Endocannabinoid System

The human body contains a vast network of cellular receptors and chemical transmitters known as the endocannabinoid system, or “ECS” for short. The ECS support bodily functions such as mood and sleep.

Neurotransmitters known as endocannabinoids (such as anandamide) are chemical signals that link the ECS to the central nervous system by attaching to cannabinoid receptors throughout the body and brain. In essence, they function as messengers as they interact with the ECS.

There are two main types of cannabinoid receptors. CB1 receptors are mostly in the brain and nervous system, while CB2 receptors are mostly in the immune system. Smaller numbers of CB1 and CB2 receptors are found in other organs throughout the body.

Endocannabinoids are produced internally, but their chemical structures are almost identical to those of the cannabinoids contained in hemp and cannabis plants. That’s why THC and CBD can have various effects once they enter the body; they also interact with the cannabinoid receptors inside the body.

There’s a key difference between THC’s and CBD’s effects on the endocannabinoid system; THC attaches to the CB1 and CB2 receptors, but CBD doesn’t. Experts believe that cannabidiol simply affects activity by being in proximity to the receptors and neurotransmitters.

That brings us closer to understanding why CBD may have an impact on the brain.

CBD In the Brain

Researchers have found that cannabidiol regularly interacts with several types of endocannabinoids and other neurotransmitters (neurotransmitters), some of which may sound familiar.

  • Glutamate: This is the primary neurotransmitter that triggers neurons in the brain and nervous system.
  • Serotonin: This “happy” chemical is well known for supporting mood.
  • Dopamine: Often called the “feel-good hormone,” dopamine plays a major role in the brain’s reward system, stimulating pleasure.

These neurotransmitters are important in other ways as well. For example, glutamate is indirectly involved in muscle function and relaxation. Serotonin impacts learning, appetite, and sleep, and dopamine is important to brain and motor function.

It’s still not understood exactly how CBD interacts with those endocannabinoids and neurotransmitters. Many theorize that the cannabinoid’s presence provides inhibition or modulation of the neurotransmitters’ activities, while others think there may be additional (but as yet undiscovered) ECS receptors in the mix.

However, what is clear is that the effects of cannabidiol and CBD products like CBD oil, capsules, edibles, and perhaps even some topicals can impact wellness. Let’s get to some examples.

CBD and Mood

Most of the studies looking into cannabidiol’s potential uses to boost mood have been conducted with animals. Even so, the results have been promising.

A 2018 systematic review of research published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology found that CBD appears to have potential stress support.

Another research review from 2020, published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, concluded that despite the lack of substantive clinical trials with standardized doses and measures of success, preclinical research shows that CBD has encouraging mental wellness effects.

The authors of the systematic review suggest further testing.

That would seem to fit with a 2018 animal study finding that CBD provided mood-stabilizing effects in mice with low serotonin levels (low serotonin may lead to poor mood). The cannabidiol apparently interacted with serotonin receptors and inhibited the brain’s response to those low serotonin levels, preventing the mice from displaying symptoms.

More research needs to be done, but when it comes to the possible use of CBD to help patients deal with mood, signs are encouraging.

CBD and Sleep

The hypothalamus is a region of the brain that is crucial for both sleep and anxiety regulation, and it contains a large number of CB2 receptors. That’s a perfect environment for cannabidiol. Some experts say CBD encourages sleep length and quality, resets circadian rhythms to encourage natural sleep, and supports regular mood, all with no known serious side effects.

One study published in The Permanente Journal, for example, found that after clinical use of CBD, two-thirds of participants reported improved sleep scores and nearly 80% reported lower anxiety. Some other studies, however, have discovered very little difference between the effectiveness of cannabidiol and a placebo, so no firm conclusions can yet be drawn.

CBD and Brain Health

The effects of CBD in the brain are believed to help support some brain functions. Neuroscience research indicates that cannabidiol’s post-exercise anti-inflammation support appears to help maintain brain wellness.

Those with any doubt about the promise of CBD for these purposes should look no further than a patent granted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 1999 — which stated that cannabinoids have “particular application as neuroprotectants” and that “nonpsychoactive cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol, are particularly advantageous.”

That’s one of the best pro-CBD arguments you can find.

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“It is important to note that the benefits of these products have not been conclusively proven. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and the NHS has not made any guarantees about the efficacy of such products”