March 10, 2017

by Anthony Martinelli

Cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis compounds, may be useful in treating anxiety-related disorders as well a substance abuse disorders, according to a new study,

“[C]annabidiol, the main non-psychotomimetic phytocannabinoid found in Cannabis sativa, reduces anxiety”, states the abstract of the study, published by the British Journal of Pharmacology and the U.S. National Institute of Health. “There is also accumulating evidence from animal studies investigating the effects of cannabidiol on fear memory processing indicating that it reduces learned fear in paradigms that are translationally relevant to phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder.”

The abstract continues; “Cannabidiol does so by reducing fear expression acutely and by disrupting fear memory reconsolidation and enhancing fear extinction, both of which can result in a lasting reduction of learned fear. Recent studies have also begun to elucidate the effects of cannabidiol on drug memory expression using paradigms with translational relevance to addiction.

The findings suggest that “cannabidiol reduces the expression of drug memories acutely and by disrupting their reconsolidation.”

Researchers conclude by stating that; “Understanding how cannabidiol regulates emotion and emotional memory processing may eventually lead to its use as a treatment for anxiety-related and substance abuse disorders.

The study was conducted by researchers the University of Birmingham and the University of Nottingham, both in London, as well as the University of São Paulo and the Federal University of Santa Catarina, both in Brazil. The full text of the study can be found by clicking here.

Source: Study: Cannabidiol (CBD) May Help Treat Anxiety-Related and Substance Abuse Disorders.