First Advisor
Stewart, Laura K.
Second Advisor
Stewart, Laura K.
Document Type
Dissertation
Date Created
8-2023
Embargo Date
8-1-2025
Abstract
Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotropic cannabis sativa derivative, is gaining attention as a potential promotor of neurological function and cognitive health and as a potential anti-inflammatory compound, although these claims lack evidence-based support from the scientific community. The purpose of this study was to determine whether 8 weeks of 2 doses, 40 mg (CB40) or 20 mg (CB20), of CBD containing beverages will improve psychological health, cognitive function, neural health as well as NK and NKT cell quantity and NK cell function when compared to a control vehicle beverage (CBDV) and a calorie-matched placebo beverage (PLAC) in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, 4 arm manner. It was hypothesized that participants consuming CBD will experience improvements in psychological health measured by the generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7) survey and piper fatigue scale (PFS), improvements in cognitive function measured by PROMIS Cognitive Function and Cognitive Abilities short forms and by the sustained attention to response task (SART), improvements in neural health measured by serum brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and improved immune function measured by increases in natural killer (NK) and NKT cell proportions of peripheral blood and increased NK cell cytotoxicity determined by measures of K562 human myelogenous leukemia cell viability following an 8-week CBD intervention. A total of 102 healthy participants were recruited from the University of Northern Colorado and nearby communities and randomly assigned to one of four groups: CB40 (n = 25), CB20 (n = 28), CBDV (n = 24), PLAC (n = 25). Participants consumed their assigned beverage; (CB40; 50 mg/100mL L-Theanine, 2.4 mg/100mL Vitamin E, 42.3 mg/100mL Vitamin C), (CB20; 53 mg/100mL L-Theanine, 2.6 mg/100mL Vitamin E, 44.4 mg/100mL Vitamin C), (CBDV; 51 mg/100mL L-Theanine, 2.5 mg/100mL Vitamin E, 39.6 mg/100mL Vitamin C), or (PLAC;/100mL L-Theanine,
Extent
175 pages
Local Identifiers
Ramani_unco_0161D_11163.pdf
Rights Statement
Copyright is held by the author.
Recommended Citation
Ramani, Arjun, "Exploring the Effects of Cannabidiol on Psychological Health, Cognitive Function, Neural Health, And Natural Killer Cells" (2023). Dissertations. 1002.
https://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations/1002