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Cannabigerol (CBG) produced antipsychotic-like effects across multiple behavioral tests in mouse models of schizophrenia, according to a new study published in Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry.
Researchers from the University of São Paulo examined whether CBG, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in marijuana, could counter behavioral changes produced by drugs commonly used to model different aspects of schizophrenia in animals.
The study involved 224 adult male Swiss mice. Researchers administered CBG before exposing the animals to either d-amphetamine or MK-801, two drugs that disrupt different neurotransmitter systems and produce behavioral changes used to model aspects of schizophrenia.
The mice were evaluated using tests measuring locomotor activity, sensorimotor gating, social interaction and recognition memory.
CBG attenuated the disruptive effects of amphetamine in both the prepulse inhibition test, a measure of sensorimotor gating, and an open-field test measuring locomotor activity. In the open-field experiment, the lowest CBG dose tested, 1 mg/kg, significantly reduced the hyperactivity caused by amphetamine.
Researchers also found that CBG pretreatment reduced impairments caused by MK-801 in prepulse inhibition, social interaction and novel object recognition. Those tests are commonly used in animal research to examine behavioral domains relevant to positive, negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia.
The researchers noted that the effects were observed at relatively low doses of CBG, calling the cannabinoid a promising candidate for additional translational research.
“To our knowledge, this is the first trial to demonstrate the antipsychotic-like effects of CBG in different behavioral assays,” the researchers said.
CBG is a minor phytocannabinoid and, like cannabidiol (CBD), does not produce the psychotomimetic effects associated with THC. Although CBG and CBD share some pharmacological characteristics, they interact differently with several receptor systems, potentially giving CBG a distinct therapeutic profile.
The researchers said relatively few studies have examined CBG in psychiatric models despite previous evidence of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotective and anxiety-related effects.
They conclude that the findings support further investigation of CBG, particularly because its benefits appeared across models representing several different behavioral dimensions associated with schizophrenia.
