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

Author(s):Show less -

Crippa, Jose Alexandre S. ^{[1, 2]} ; Derenusson, Guilherme Nogueira ^{[1, 2]} ; Ferrari, Thiago Borduqui ^{[1, 2]} ; Wichert-Ana, Lauro ^[3] ; Duran, Fabio L. S. ^[4] ; Martin-Santos, Rocio ^[5] ; Simoes, Marcus Vinicius ^{[3, 6]} ; Bhattacharyya, Sagnik ^[5] ; Fusar-Poli, Paolo ^[5] ; Atakan, Zerrin ^[5] ; Filho, Alaor Santos ^{[1, 2]} ; Freitas-Ferrari, Maria Cecilia ^{[1, 2]} ; McGuire, Philip K. ^[5] ; Zuardi, Antonio Waldo ^{[1, 2]} ; Busatto, Geraldo F. ^[4] ; Cecilio Hallak, Jaime Eduardo ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Neurosci, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Behav, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Div Neurol, Fac Med Ribeirao Preto, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Dept Psychiat, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[5] Univ London, Dept Psychol Med, Inst Psychiat, Sect Neuroimaging, London WC1E 7HU - England

^[6] Univ Sao Paulo, Med Clin, Fac Med Ribeirao Preto, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY; v. 25, n. 1, p. 121-130, JAN 2011.
• Web of Science Citations: 113

Abstract

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-naive 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. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 02/13197-2 - Participation of glutamate and nitric oxide on the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatry disorders
• Grantee: Francisco Silveira Guimaraes
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants