Cannabidiol provides viable treatment opportunity for multiple neurological pathologies of autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorderaffecting over 1% of the general population.While it is well established that ASD stems from a combination of genetic and environmental factors, there are no defined mechanisms of pathogenesis, rendering curative therapy very difficult to establish.No effective therapy exists for ASD, presenting an urgent clinical need for better control of common core pathologies of ASD regardless of its etiology.Cannabidiol (CBD), a major phytocannabinoid constituent of the cannabis plant, is gaining significant attention in both the media and in medicine for its antiepileptic, anxiolytic, and antipsychotic properties.Recent anecdotal reports, accumulating preclinical and clinical data, and mechanistic insights suggest that CBD provides a viable treatment opportunity forpatients with ASD.