Rimonabant effects on anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in healthy humans: a preliminary report

Author(s):Show less -

Bergamaschi, Mateus M. ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Queiroz, Regina H. C. ^{[1, 2]} ; Chagas, Marcos H. N. ^{[2, 3]} ; Linares, Ila M. P. ^{[2, 3]} ; Arrais, Katia C. ^{[2, 3]} ; de Oliveira, Danielle C. G. ^{[2, 3]} ; Queiroz, Maria E. ^[4] ; Nardi, Antonio E. ^{[2, 5]} ; Huestis, Marilyn A. ^[6] ; Hallak, Jaime E. C. ^{[2, 3]} ; Zuardi, Antonio W. ^{[2, 3]} ; Moreira, Fabricio A. ^{[2, 7]} ; Crippa, Jose A. S. ^{[2, 3]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Clin Toxicol & Food Sci Anal, Sch Pharmaceut Sci Ribeirao Preto, BR-14048900 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

^[2] Natl Inst Translat Med INCT TM, CNPq, Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Neurosci & Behav, Ribeirao Preto Med Sch, BR-14048900 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Quim, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, BR-14048900 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Lab Pan & Respirat, Inst Psychiat, Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

^[6] NIDA, IRP, NIH, Baltimore, MD - USA

^[7] Univ Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Pharmacol, Inst Biol Sci, Belo Horizonte, MG - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: HUMAN PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL; v. 29, n. 1, p. 94-99, JAN 2014.
• Web of Science Citations: 14

Abstract

ObjectiveWe investigated the hypothesis that rimonabant, a cannabinoid antagonist/inverse agonist, would increase anxiety in healthy subjects during a simulation of the public speaking test. MethodsParticipants were randomly allocated to receive oral placebo or 90mg rimonabant in a double-blind design. Subjective effects were measured by Visual Analogue Mood Scale. Physiological parameters, namely arterial blood pressure and heart rate, also were monitored. ResultsTwelve participants received oral placebo and 12 received 90mg rimonabant. Rimonabant increased self-reported anxiety levels during the anticipatory speech and performance phase compared with placebo. Interestingly, rimonabant did not modulate anxiety prestress and was not associated with sedation, cognitive impairment, discomfort, or blood pressure changes. ConclusionsCannabinoid-1 antagonism magnifies the responses to an anxiogenic stimulus without interfering with the prestress phase. These data suggest that the endocannabinoid system may work on-demand to counteract the consequences of anxiogenic stimuli in healthy humans. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley \& Sons, Ltd. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/11805-4 - Effects of cannabidiol, rimonabant and clonazepam on induced human experimental anxiety
• Grantee: Mateus Machado Bergamaschi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)