“Interest in the therapeutic potential of cannabigerol (CBG), a non-psychotomimetic cannabinoid derived from Cannabis sativa, has increased recently. However, preclinical studies examining its effects on cognitive impairment, a core symptom domain of schizophrenia, remain limited.
Based on the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R) hypofunction hypothesis of schizophrenia, MK-801, a potent NMDA-R antagonist, is widely used as a pharmacological model of schizophrenia that replicates the cognitive impairments observed in patients.
This study investigated whether repeated systemic administration of CBG (10 mg/kg/i.p.) could reverse long-term recognition memory (LTM) impairment induced by a single dose of MK-801 (0.1 mg/kg/i.p.) in male rats, using the novel object recognition paradigm. Additionally, we evaluated whether these effects were associated with changes in BDNF/TrkB receptor (TrkB-R) signaling.
ELISA and quantitative real-time PCR analyses were performed to evaluate BDNF protein levels and BDNF and TrkB-R mRNA expression in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC).
MK-801 significantly impaired LTM compared with control group, whereas co-administration of CBG prevented this deficit.
MK-801-induced memory impairment was associated with reduced hippocampal and cortical BDNF protein levels, without changes in BDNF or TrkB-R mRNA expression. CBG and MK-801 combined treatment did not restore BDNF mRNA expression and protein levels although it significantly increased TrkB-R mRNA expression in the mPFC.
These results suggest that activation of TrkB-R signaling through a BDNF-independent mechanism may contribute to the preservation of LTM by CBG.
Our results provide relevant evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of CBG for cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42648374
“Results support CBG therapeutic potential for cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia.”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091305726001152?via%3Dihub