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

Abstract

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. A total of 24 never-treated patients with SAD were allocated to receive either CBD (600 mg; n=12) or placebo (placebo; n=12) in a double-blind randomized design 1 h and a half before the test. The same number of HC (n=12) performed the SPST without receiving any medication. Each volunteer participated in only one experimental session in a double-blind procedure. Subjective ratings on the Visual Analogue Mood Scale (VAMS) and Negative Self-Statement scale (SSPS-N) and physiological measures (blood pressure, heart rate, and skin conductance) were measured at six different time points during the SPST. The results were submitted to a repeated-measures analysis of variance. 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 as assessed with the VAMS. The SSPS-N scores evidenced significant increases during the testing of placebo group that was almost abolished in the CBD group. No significant differences were observed between CBD and HC in SSPS-N scores or in the cognitive impairment, discomfort, and alert factors of VAMS. The increase in anxiety induced by the SPST on subjects with SAD was reduced with the use of CBD, resulting in a similar response as the HC.

Early Phase in the Development of Cannabidiol as a Treatment for Addiction: Opioid Relapse Takes Initial Center Stage

“…An investigation with a larger number of participants is currently being conducted, but it is clear more studies are necessary to confirm these preliminary findings, as well as to evaluate different treatment schedules in order to fully evaluate the spectrum of CBD's effects. Nevertheless, the current human data are consistent with results from the rat models, suggesting that CBD attenuates cue-induced and general craving in opioid-dependent individuals and that the effects are protracted even after the acute exposure to the cannabinoid [62][63][64]. Overall, the pilot human and preclinical animal laboratory studies provide a foundation for continued exploration of CBD in treating opioid dependence.…”

“…CBD also possesses antipsychotic properties [2,[57][58][59][60][61]. Not surprisingly, and as witnessed in the aforementioned preclinical data, CBD has been shown to reduce anxiety in patients with social phobia and generalized social anxiety disorders [62][63][64]. CBD decreases autonomic arousal and subjective anxiety [65]; these anxiolytic effects were found to be linked to the modulation of limbic and paralimbic structures [57,62].…”

Multiple mechanisms involved in the large-spectrum therapeutic potential of cannabidiol in psychiatric disorders

“…, anxiolytic effect; , anxiogenic effect; CFC, contextual fear conditioning; EPM, elevated plus maze; ETM, elevated T maze; GAD, generalized anxiety patients; OF, open field; VCT, Vogel conflict test; i.p., intraperitoneal injection; i.c.v., intracerebroventricular injection; DPAG, dorsal periaqueductal grey; BNST, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis; PL, prelimbic cortex; IL, infralimbic cortex; CeA, central amygdala. [24] neuroimaging study healthy volunteers 400 mg [25] fearful facial stimuli healthy volunteers 600 mg [26] fearful facial stimuli healthy volunteers 600 mg [27] anxiety symptoms (visual analogue mood scale) GAD 400 mg [28] simulated public speaking social phobics 400 mg [29] been associated with PTSD pathophysiology [30]. Intracerebroventricular administration of CBD facilitates extinction in a contextual aversive conditioning model [15].…”

Can anxiety increase tremors in patients with Parkinson’s disease? An experimental model

“…One of these tests is the simulated public speaking test (SPST), which was developed and validated by Mcnair et al 7 and subsequently modified by Guimarães et al 8 This clinical anxiety model involves making a speech in front of a video camera; this test has been used in several pharmacological studies in cases of normal anxiety and anxiety disorders, and its validity has been confirmed 9,10 .…”