Would some cannabinoids ameliorate symptoms of autism?

Abstract

There has been a massive growth of public awareness and research funding around autism spectrum disorders (ASD) over the past 10 years. This disorder is one of the groups of neurodevelopmental disorders known as pervasive developmental disorders characterized by three core deficits: impaired communication, impaired reciprocal social interaction and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviors or interests. At present, there is no psychopharmacologic treatment for the core symptoms of autism.In addition to their classic physiologic functions in diuresis, parturition and lactation, oxytocin and vasopressin act as important modulators of social cognition and behaviors in a diverse range of species including humans [1]. Some clinical studies have provided a body of evidence that raises optimism for the feasibility of oxytocinbased therapeutics in ASD. For example, administration of oxytocin to patients with ASD has been shown to facilitate processing of social information, improve emotional recognition, strengthen social interactions and increase eye gaze, and even reduce repetitive behaviors [2]. The effects of intranasal oxytocin on the social behavior of 13 patients suffering from high functioning ASD were investigated and compared to the effects of a placebo condition and to the behavior of matched healthy subjects. Oxytocin was shown to enhance visual scanning of faces and, in particular, of the eye region, as compared to a placebo condition. It enhanced patients' ability to process socially relevant cues and acquire their meaning in an interactive context such as the ball-tossing task [3]. The entangled evolutionary origins of oxytocin and vasopressin in mammals are noteworthy. Although oxytocin and vasopressin have profoundly different hormonal actions in the periphery, a rich body of evidence has shown that both neuropeptides can act on similar substrates in the central nervous system to regulate the related behaviors. These intertwined actions of oxytocin and vasopressin are realized pharmacologically through a phylogenetically related family of four G-protein coupled receptors that include an oxytocin receptor and the three vasopressin receptors (V1a, V2, and V1b). Only modest differences separate the affinity and potency of oxytocin for oxytocin receptor versus its nearest pharmacologic neighbor V1a [4].Data suggest that the transient receptor potential V2 (TRPV2) protein may play a role in mediating physiological activities associated with oxytocin and vasopressin release, such as parturition, lactation and diuresis [5]. TRPV2 protein, also known as vanilloid receptor-like 1 (VRL-1), is a member of the TRP superfamily of nonselective, ligand-gated cation channels, many of which have been shown to serve as detectors and transducers of thermal sensory stimuli. It has been demonstrated that TRPV2 is activated by moderate thermal stimuli and, in the rat, is expressed in medium to large diameter dorsal root ganglion neurons [6].Cannabidiol (CBD) is a major nonpsychotropic constituent of cannabi...

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