According to the results of a new study using an animal model, CBD-rich cannabis oil “promotes social behavior by acting on oxytocin pathway”.
The aim of the study, conducted by researchers at the University of Brescia and published in the December issue of Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, “was to investigate the effect of a C. sativa oil CBD rich (CS oil) on social interaction and ultrasonic communication”, according to the study’s abstract.
For the study, 27 adult male mice were treated daily with vehicle or cannabis oil for two weeks. At Day 14, mice were tested for behavior using social interaction test and ultrasonic communication.
“We found that a 2-week treatment with the CS oil on mice exerted a prosocial effect associated with an increase in ultrasonic vocalizations”, claims the study’s researchers. “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.”
The study concludes by saying “Our results suggest that CS oil promotes social behavior by acting on oxytocin pathway.”
