CBD Shows Potential for Improving Sleep and Reducing Seizures in Angelman Syndrome
- A study published in Neuropsychopharmacology found that chronic cannabidiol (CBD) treatment improved sleep deficits and reduced spontaneous seizures in a mouse model of Angelman syndrome.
- Researchers at The Ohio State University used mice lacking the maternal Ube3a gene to model Angelman syndrome, which causes intellectual disability, motor difficulties, sleep problems, and epilepsy.
- CBD treatment significantly increased REM sleep during the dark cycle, restored active-phase rest (termed “Siesta”), and partially improved sleep homeostasis by boosting slow-wave activity in the mice.
- The treatment also reduced spontaneous recurrent seizures after flurothyl kindling, suggesting potential benefits for managing seizures and sleep abnormalities in Angelman syndrome, though further studies, especially in humans and during early development, are needed.
A new study published in Neuropsychopharmacology found that chronic cannabidiol treatment improved sleep deficits and reduced spontaneous seizures in an animal model of Angelman syndrome.
The study, conducted by researchers at The Ohio State University, examined the effects of CBD in mice lacking the maternal Ube3a gene, a widely used model of Angelman syndrome. Angelman syndrome is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder that can cause intellectual disability, motor difficulties, sleep problems and epilepsy.
Researchers found that chronic CBD treatment significantly increased rapid-eye movement, or REM, sleep during the dark cycle in Angelman syndrome model mice, restoring it to levels seen in wild-type mice. The treatment also restored the animals’ active-phase rest period, referred to in the study as “Siesta,” and partially improved sleep homeostasis by increasing slow-wave activity during the late dark cycle.
The study also found that CBD reduced spontaneous recurrent seizures following flurothyl kindling, a method used to model the development of epilepsy. According to the researchers, CBD significantly reduced the number of spontaneous seizures in Angelman syndrome model mice, though it had little effect on the seizure threshold during the kindling process.
The authors said the findings add to preclinical evidence supporting the potential use of CBD for Angelman syndrome, particularly for addressing sleep abnormalities and seizures. However, they noted that the study was conducted in adult mice, while Angelman syndrome symptoms are often most severe during childhood.
Researchers said future studies are needed to determine whether CBD may provide similar benefits during early development and whether the findings can translate to human patients.