Cannabis oil “promotes social behavior by acting on oxytocin pathway”, according to the results of a new study.
Titled Cannabis Sativa Oil Promotes Social Interaction and Ultrasonic Communication by Acting on Oxytocin Pathway, the study was published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, and it was published online by the US National Library of Medicine. It was conducted by researchers at the Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine at the University of Brescia in Italy.
“Cannabis sativa is the most used recreational drug worldwide. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the potential therapeutic benefits of medicinal cannabis to treat a variety of psychiatric and neurological conditions”, states the study’s absgtract. “In particular, cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychoactive cannabis constituent, has been investigated for its potential prosocial effects on behavior, although the molecular mechanisms underlying this effect are still largely unknown.”
The aim of this study “was to investigate the effect of a C. sativa oil CBD rich (CS oil) on social interaction and ultrasonic communication in mice.”
For the sutdy 27 adult male mice were treated daily with vehicle or CS oil for 2 weeks. At Day 14, mice were tested for behavior (social interaction test and ultrasonic communication). Forty minutes before the behavioral tests, mice were exposed to intranasal treatment with vehicle or the oxytocin receptor antagonist, L-371,257.
“We found that a 2-week treatment with the CS oil on mice exerted a prosocial effect associated with an increase in ultrasonic vocalizations”, states the study. “These effects were inhibited by pretreating mice with an oxytocin receptor antagonist. In addition, at the molecular level, we found that CS oil treatment caused a significant increase in oxytocin and a decrease in oxytocin receptor expression levels in the brain hypothalamus.”
Researchers conclude by stating “Our results suggest that CS oil promotes social behavior by acting on oxytocin pathway.”
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