Antidepressant Potential of Cannabidiol: Effects on Mood and Default Mode Network Connectivity
Year: 2025
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent psychiatric illness, but existing treatments can be ineffective or inaccessible. As such, identifying novel antidepressant interventions may provide critical mental healthcare to those with limited responsiveness or access to existing therapeutics. This study aimed to investigate the antidepressant potential of cannabidiol (CBD), a bioactive substance found in cannabis, which has been shown to have antidepressant effects in animal models of depression and in self-report studies. Antidepressant effects of CBD may involve the default mode network (DMN), a functional brain network implicated in depression. The DMN includes the medial prefrontal cortex, which is implicated in the antidepressant action of CBD in animal models. Twenty-eight participants, ages 18 to 34, with current full- or sub-threshold MDD were enrolled in a six-week research study while initiating naturalistic CBD use. Participants completed neuroimaging scans at baseline and two weeks after beginning CBD use. Results showed that depressive symptoms significantly decreased following four weeks of CBD use, and symptom reductions were significantly correlated with reductions in functional connectivity of the DMN. Together, these findings suggest that CBD may have antidepressant properties that target the DMN. Future research should seek to extend these findings to test causal relationships between CBD and mood changes to further investigate CBD as a potential intervention for depression.
Subfield: Pharmacology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7128666728
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