New research, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, shows that a dose of the cannabis extract cannabidiol improves brain function in people living with psychosis.

Share on Pinterest A cannabis extract known as cannabidiol could be the ‘ideal treatment’ for psychosis.

The new study was conducted by scientists at King’s College London (KCL) in the United Kingdom.

It was spearheaded by Sagnik Bhattacharyya, Ph.D., from KCL’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.

Bhattacharyya explains the motivation for the recent study, saying, “The mainstay of current treatment for people with psychosis are drugs that were first discovered in the 1950s and unfortunately do not work for everyone.”

Cannabidiol has already been proven to have antipsychotic effects. For instance, a 6-week clinical trial has shown that it relieves psychotic symptoms when taken in conjunction with antipsychotic medication. Likewise, a 4-week trial found that the compound is just as effective as traditional antipsychotics.

However, the neurological mechanisms responsible for this effect were unknown — until now. The new research sheds light, bringing us closer to a potential cannabidiol-based treatment for psychosis.

According to recent estimates, 3.5 percent of the population of the United States has experienced symptoms of psychosis, such as visual or auditory hallucinations.