Tag Archives: CBD

Pot Compound Reduces Anxiety

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“According to clinical trial data published online in The Journal of Psychopharmacology, the administration of the non-psychoactive component of marijuana [cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD)] reduces anxiety in subjects with social anxiety disorder (SAD).

The anti-anxiety activity of oral doses of CBD in ten subjects was assessed by investigators at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil in a double blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Researchers concluded, “CBD reduces anxiety in SAD and that this is related to its effects on activity in limbic and paralimbic brain areas.”

This study is the first clinical trial to investigate the effects of cannabinoid cannabidiol on human pathological anxiety and its underlying brain mechanisms.

Previous studies in the context of CBD have suggested that the compound possesses anti-inflammatory activity, anti-cancer activity, and neuroprotective effects – among other therapeutic properties.

The study “Neural basis of anxiolytic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) in generalized social anxiety disorder: a preliminary report,” appeared online in The Journal of Psychopharmacology.”

http://www.imarijuana.com/news/pot-compound-reduces-anxiety

Antianxiety effect of cannabidiol in the elevated plus-maze.

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“In order to assess the presence of anxiolytic properties in cannabidiol (CBD) the drug was tested in an elevated plus-maze model of anxiety, in rats. Doses of 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg significantly increased the entry ratio (open/total number of entries), an anxiolytic-like effect. CBD at a dose of 20.0 mg/kg was no longer effective. None of the doses of CBD used changed total number of entries, a measure of total exploratory activity. Diazepam (2.0 mg/kg) also caused an anxiolytic-like effect in this model.

These results indicate that CBD causes a selective anxiolytic effect in the elevated plus-maze, within a limited range of doses.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1969666

Anxiolytic effect of cannabidiol derivatives in the elevated plus-maze.

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“1.In order to assess the presence of anxiolytic properties in cannabidiol (CBD) derivatives HU-219, HU-252 and HU-261, these drugs were tested in rats submitted to the elevated plus-maze model of anxiety.

 2. Additional groups received diazepam or CBD. HU-219 (0.03-1 mg/kg) and CBD (5 mg/kg) significantly increased the percentage of open arm entries without changing the total number of entries, an anxiolytic-like effect.

 3. Both HU-252 and HU-261 increased the percentage of time spent in open arms and the total number of entries, but only at the dose of 1 mg/kg.

4. Diazepam (2.5 mg/kg) increased both the percentage of entries and time spent on open arms and the total number of entries.

5. The results confirm previous findings with CBD and indicate that its derivative HU-219 may possess a similar anxiolytic-like profile.

6. Results from HU-252 and HU-261 are less apparent and suggest that the compounds may increase general exploratory activity in a limited range of doses.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7913072

Cannabidiol Reduces the Anxiety Induced by Simulated Public Speaking in Treatment-Naïve Social Phobia Patients

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“Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is one of the most common anxiety conditions with impairment in social life. Cannabidiol (CBD), one major non-psychotomimetic compound of the cannabis sativa plant, has shown anxiolytic effects both in humans and in animals. This preliminary study aimed to compare the effects of a simulation public speaking test (SPST) on healthy control (HC) patients and treatment-naïve SAD patients who received a single dose of CBD or placebo…

Pretreatment with CBD significantly reduced anxiety, cognitive impairment and discomfort in their speech performance, and significantly decreased alert in their anticipatory speech. The placebo group presented higher anxiety, cognitive impairment, discomfort, and alert levels when compared with the control group…

…because of the absence of psychoactive or cognitive effects, to its safety and tolerability profiles, and to its broad pharmacological spectrum, CBD is possibly the cannabinoid that is most likely to have initial findings in anxiety translated into clinical practice…

… the effects of a single dose of CBD, observed in this study in the face of one of the main SAD’s phobic stimuli, is a promising indication of a rapid onset of therapeutic effect in patients with SAD.”

.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3079847/#bib17

Effects of Cannabidiol (CBD) on Regional Cerebral Blood Flow

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“Animal and human studies have suggested that cannabidiol (CBD) may possess anxiolytic properties…These results suggest that CBD has anxiolytic properties, and that these effects are mediated by an action on limbic and paralimbic brain areas…

Cannabidiol (CBD) constitutes up to 40% of Cannabis sativa and has quite different psychological effects to the plant’s best known constituent, Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta9-THC)

 In particular, in animal studies CBD has effects similar to anxiolytic drugs…”

 http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v29/n2/full/1300340a.html

Cannabidiol: an overview of some pharmacological aspects.

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“Over the past few years, considerable attention has focused on cannabidiol (CBD), a major nonpsychotropic constituent of cannabis.

The authors present a review on the chemistry of CBD and discuss the anticonvulsive, antianxiety, antipsychotic, antinausea, and antirheumatoid arthritic properties of CBD.

CBD does not bind to the known cannabinoid receptors, and its mechanism of action is yet unknown. It is possible that, in part at least, its effects are due to its recently discovered inhibition of anandamide uptake and hydrolysis and to its antioxidative effect.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12412831

Neural basis of anxiolytic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) in generalized social anxiety disorder: a preliminary report.

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“Animal and human studies indicate that cannabidiol (CBD), a major constituent of cannabis, has anxiolytic properties. However, no study to date has investigated the effects of this compound on human pathological anxiety and its underlying brain mechanisms. The aim of the present study was to investigate this in patients with generalized social anxiety disorder (SAD) using functional neuroimaging. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) at rest was measured twice using (99m)Tc-ECD SPECT in 10 treatment-naïve patients with SAD. In the first session, subjects were given an oral dose of CBD (400 mg) or placebo, in a double-blind procedure. In the second session, the same procedure was performed using the drug that had not been administered in the previous session. Within-subject between-condition rCBF comparisons were performed using statistical parametric mapping. Relative to placebo, CBD was associated with significantly decreased subjective anxiety (p < 0.001), reduced ECD uptake in the left parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus, and inferior temporal gyrus (p < 0.001, uncorrected), and increased ECD uptake in the right posterior cingulate gyrus (p < 0.001, uncorrected).

These results suggest that CBD reduces anxiety in SAD and that this is related to its effects on activity in limbic and paralimbic brain areas.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20829306

Facilitation of contextual fear memory extinction and anti-anxiogenic effects of AM404 and cannabidiol in conditioned rats.

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“The present study investigated the central effects of the eCB uptake/metabolism inhibitor AM404 and the phytocannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) on the extinction of contextual fear memories in rats…

… In conclusion, CBD, a non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid could be an interesting pharmacological approach to reduce the anxiogenic effects of stress and promote the extinction of fear memories.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18706790

Cannabinoid-related agents in the treatment of anxiety disorders: current knowledge and future perspectives.

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“Rich evidence has shown that cannabis products exert a broad gamut of effects on emotional regulation. The main psychoactive ingredient of hemp, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and its synthetic cannabinoid analogs have been reported to either attenuate or exacerbate anxiety and fear-related behaviors in humans and experimental animals. The heterogeneity of cannabis-induced psychological outcomes reflects a complex network of molecular interactions between the key neurobiological substrates of anxiety and fear and the endogenous cannabinoid system, mainly consisting of the arachidonic acid derivatives anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and two receptors, respectively termed CB1 and CB2. The high degree of interindividual variability in the responses to cannabis is contributed by a wide spectrum of factors, including genetic and environmental determinants, as well as differences in the relative concentrations of THC and other alkaloids (such as cannabidiol) within the plant itself.

The present article reviews the currently available knowledge on the herbal, synthetic and endogenous cannabinoids with respect to the modulation of anxiety responses, and highlights the challenges that should be overcome to harness the therapeutic potential of some of these compounds, all the while limiting the side effects associated with cannabis consumption. In addition the article presents some promising patents on cannabinoid-related agents.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22280339

Anti-Aversive Effects of Cannabidiol on Innate Fear-Induced Behaviors Evoked by an Ethological Model of Panic Attacks Based on a Prey vs the Wild Snake Epicrates cenchria crassus Confrontation Paradigm

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“Research on the interaction between different compounds extracted from the plant Cannabis sativa (Cannabis) and the endocannabinoid system has revealed a series of ligands that selectively bind to cannabinoid receptors. The activation of this system causes a wide spectrum of responses, some of which could be potentially therapeutic. Recently, much attention has been given to cannabidiol (CBD), a major constituent of Cannabis that is unable to mimic all of the effects of the plant but has a wide range of pharmacological effects. In the elevated plus-maze, this drug produces an anxiolytic-like effect…

… attention has been given to the potential anxiolytic properties of cannabidiol, because of its complex actions on the endocannabinoid system together with its effects on other neurotransmitter systems. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cannabidiol on innate fear-related behaviors evoked by a prey vs predator paradigm…

These results show that cannabidiol modulates defensive behaviors evoked by the presence of threatening stimuli…

In summary, the data presented in this study suggest that the complex action of CBD on the endocannabinoid-mediated system, together with its putative effect on the serotonin-mediated system, could have a pivotal role in the regulation of emotional states and thus constitute a novel pharmacological target for anti-panic therapy.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3242302/