{
  "abstract": "Autistic children often show altered brain network connectivity, including circuitry implicated in social cognition. Cannabidiol (CBD) has emerged as a potential therapy for autism, but its neural mechanisms remain under-researched. Here, we analyze resting-state data collected as part of a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial, to explore whether 12 weeks of oral CBD oil could modulate functional connectivity in autistic children. Twenty-nine autistic children (5 to 12 years) completed two 12-week intervention periods (CBD and placebo, randomized) separated by an 8-week washout. Before and after each period, 5 min of eyes-open resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) were obtained from a subset of 18 participants (8 female). Functional connectivity was calculated across 16 electrode-pairs in the delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands. Beta-band connectivity between the right frontal and right inferior-parietal electrodes increased following CBD (P = 0.001, false discovery rate [FDR]-corrected P [pFDR] = 0.022), and alpha connectivity showed an increase that did not remain following FDR correction (P = 0.036, pFDR = 0.428). No significant differences were observed following placebo for any frequency band (pFDR > 0.69). This study provides preliminary evidence that 12 weeks of cannabidiol is associated with an increase in right fronto-parietal (F4–P8) functional connectivity in autistic children, most pronounced in the beta-band. Replication in larger samples is needed to confirm generalizability and clinical relevance.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Nina-Francesca Parrella",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6269-8107"
    },
    {
      "name": "Aron T Hill",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1435-2993"
    },
    {
      "name": "Peter G Enticott",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6638-951X"
    },
    {
      "name": "Luke A Downey"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sarah Catchlove",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2314-1706"
    },
    {
      "name": "Talitha C Ford",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5400-2659"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/165wacjq8ykej.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1093/cercor/bhag188",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13733498/",
  "id": "165wacjq8ykej",
  "issns": [
    "1047-3211",
    "1460-2199"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhag188",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/MED00310"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/MED00385"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/SCI01870"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2736|Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W4414258220",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13733498",
  "pmid": "42981179",
  "published": "2026-11-04",
  "publisher": "Oxford University Press",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/165wacjq8ykej.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-08T12:23:16Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13733498",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhag188"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2736|Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research",
      "subfield": "pharmacology-toxicology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Cannabidiol and fronto-parietal EEG connectivity in autistic children",
  "title_text": "Cannabidiol and fronto-parietal EEG connectivity in autistic children",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T12:23:16Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/165wacjq8ykej",
  "venue": "Cerebral Cortex (New York, NY)",
  "versions": []
}