Meta title: CBD for CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy)
Meta description: CBD offers hope as a potential future treatment for patients with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy).
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Athletes are tough, and that’s one of the reasons why so many of them are looked up to as role models. They can take the big hits and throw themselves into the game. But this kind of physicality comes with big risks, namely CTE.
CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a debilitating, degenerative brain disease that can occur after repetitive concussions, like those caused by playing football or boxing. Unfortunately, there is no known cure.
However, hope may be possible through the unlikely source of cannabis. CBD, a major compound found in cannabis, may be able to treat some of the symptoms of CTE and offer potential to those facing this devastating disease.
What Is CTE?
CTE is a degenerative brain condition that occurs in those with a history of repetitive brain injuries like concussions. For this reason, athletes and those in the military are overly represented in the percent of those with CTE.
CTE is similar to Alzheimer’s disease and results in the loss of impulse control, depression, anxiety, memory loss, disorientation, poor judgment, motor issues, tremors, paranoia, and aggression.
This disease can only be diagnosed after death through the examination of brain tissue. Patients with CTE build up a protein called TAU in their brains. This protein slowly builds and spreads throughout the brain, killing brain cells and resulting in the symptoms of CTE.
Research into CTE is still developing, but scientists have been aware of the symptoms of repetitive brain trauma since at least the 1920s when “punch drunk” was used to describe boxers with visible cognitive and motor difficulties.
Famous cases of CTE include NFL players Dave Duerson and Mike Webster, NHL players Derek Boogard and Bob Probert, and wrestler Chris Benoit.
What Is CBD?
CBD, or cannabidiol, is an active compound found in cannabis that may be able to offer hope for patients who experience repetitive brain trauma and are suspected of having CTE.
CBD has gained a reputation for its therapeutic abilities. CBD induces its effects on the body by interacting with a range of receptors and receptor pathways. Unlike cannabis, CBD alone won’t get you high because it doesn’t have the psychoactive effects that THC has.
How Can CBD Help CTE?
CBD may be able to improve the symptoms of CTE and may protect the brain from CTE development. It is important to keep in mind that much of the research into CBD’s therapeutic properties is still in the early stages and should be taken as indicative rather than conclusive.
Neuroprotective Properties of CBD
CBD has demonstrated a strong ability to protect the brain in many ways. Studies have shown that CBD can reduce neuroinflammation and can preserve blood circulation in events where blood is restricted to the brain, protecting it from damage. It can also influence microglia, a type of neural cell that returns to a state where it can search for and identify immune threats to the brain (1).
CBD has been found to reduce the impact of brain damage associated with neurodegenerative diseases, meaning that it shows promise as a neuroprotector for patients who expect to experience repetitive head trauma that could develop into CTE (2).
More importantly, CBD has been found to inhibit the hyperphosphorylation of the TAU protein. Hyperphosphorylation of the TAU protein is a distinct marker of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and CTE, so CBD may be able to provide neuroprotection through inhibition of the protein directly involved in CTE development(3).
Pain-Relieving Properties of CBD
Patients with CTE also experience pain symptoms, and CBD has shown promise as an analgesic.
One way that CBD might reduce pain is through its interaction with serotonin receptors. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that has shown a strong ability to reduce pain levels, and CBD has been shown to activate serotonin receptors and increase serotonin levels (4).
CBD may also reduce pain through its interaction with TRPV1. TRPV1 is a receptor protein responsible for the sensation of pain, and a 2019 mouse study found that low-dose CBD treatment resulted in an analgesic effect that largely occurred through activation of the TRPV1 receptor (5).
Depression and Anxiety Relieving Properties of CBD
Mood disorders like depression and anxiety are common symptoms of CTE, and CBD has shown potential as an antidepressant and anxiolytic.
CBD is thought to improve the symptoms of mood disorders by controlling the levels of neurotransmitters directly involved in mood, like serotonin and cortisol (6, 7).
Tremor-Reducing Properties of CBD
Tremors are another common symptom in patients with CTE, and CBD has also shown therapeutic potential in this area.
A 2020 study found that CBD treatment was able to reduce tremor amplitude in patients with Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease similar in its development to CTE. The study induced tremors in Parkinson’s patients by undertaking a public speaking test. The study linked tremor amplitude in Parkinson’s to anxiety, and CBD was able to reduce both tremors and anxiety levels in the study (9).
The Bottom Line
CTE is a debilitating disease that needs a cure. While CBD is still far from being a cure, it does offer a lot of possibilities for patients
suspected of suffering from CTE or individuals who are expected to have experienced repetitive head trauma.
CBD’s neuroprotective, pain-relieving, mood-enhancing, and tremor-reducing properties make it a great candidate for further research into CTE treatment and prevention. Further research is especially needed into CTE’s effect on TAU protein growth in human models if CBD’s efficacy in CTE treatment is to be established.
