According to the results of a new study, phytocannabinoids derived from marijuana, cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), may help manage emotional comorbidities often associated with epilepsy, including anxiety and fear responses.
Researchers observed that seizures led to increased anxiety- and fear-like behaviors in rats, but these effects were reversed by administering CBD (via vapor) and THC (orally). The study highlights that emotional disturbances linked to epilepsy may result from decreased anandamide signaling in the brain’s amygdala, which can be mitigated by phytocannabinoids.
In addition to exploring the anticonvulsant effects of CBD and THC, the study focused on how these compounds may also treat emotional symptoms tied to epilepsy, which significantly reduce the quality of life in those affected. The research showed that blocking serotonin 1A receptors before CBD exposure neutralized its protective effects, emphasizing the potential role of serotonin pathways in emotional regulation.
Below is the study’s full abstract:
Epilepsy often presents with severe emotional comorbidities including anxiety and abnormal fear responses which impose a significant burden on, and reduce, quality of life in people living with the disease. Our lab has recently shown that kindled seizures lead to changes in emotional processing resulting from the downregulation of anandamide signalling within the amygdala. Phytocannabinoids derived from the Cannabis sativa plant have attracted a lot of interest as a new class of drugs with potential anticonvulsant effects. Among the wide number of compounds occurring in Cannabis sativa, Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the one responsible for its main psychoactive effects, and the nonpsychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) have been extensively examined under pre-clinical and clinical contexts to control seizures, however, neither have been assessed in the context of the management of emotional comorbidities associated with seizure activity. We used two behavioural procedures to assess anxiety- and fear-like responding in adult male Long-Evans rats: elevated plus maze and auditory fear conditioning. In agreement with previous reports, we found seizure-induced increases in anxiety- and fear-like responding. These effects were reversed by either CBD (vaporized) or THC (oral). We also found that antagonism of serotonin 1 A receptors prior to CBD exposure prevented its protective effects. Phytocannabinoids offer a novel and reliable opportunity to treat seizure induced comorbid emotional alterations.
