The pharmacological strategy for the treatment of schizophrenia has not changed in the six decades since chlorpromazine was introduced in 1952. Studies since the ‘90s have demonstrated the antipsychotic potential of cannabidiol (CBD). In particular, CBD has been shown to be effective in attenuating the positive symptoms of schizophrenia with a negligible side-effect profile. However, the underlying antipsychotic mechanism of antipsychotic action of CBD remains unclear.
In a recent paper, Renard et al.(2016) used the amphetamine (AMPH)-sensitisation protocol in rats to investigate whether the antipsychotic effects of CBD were mediated by its effects on the mTOR cascade. Overall, the work of Renard et al. has provided a novel insight into the mechanisms that underlie the antipsychotic properties of CBD, especially for the treatment of positive symptoms of schizophrenia.