1. The anxiolytic effect of cannabidiol depends on the nature of the trauma when patients with post-traumatic stress disorder recall their trigger event
- Author
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Lívia Maria Bolsoni, José Alexandre S. Crippa, Jaime Eduardo Cecílio Hallak, Francisco Silveira Guimarães, and Antonio Waldo Zuardi
- Subjects
Male ,Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,Anti-Anxiety Agents ,sexual trauma ,cognitive dysfunction ,Humans ,Cannabidiol ,Female ,Anxiety ,anxiety ,Anxiety Disorders ,post-traumatic - Abstract
Objectives: We assessed whether administering cannabidiol (CBD) before recalling the traumatic event that triggered their disorder attenuates anxiety in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As an exploratory pilot analysis, we also investigated whether this effect depends on the nature of the event (sexual vs. nonsexual trauma). Methods: Thirty-three patients of both sexes with PTSD were recruited and randomized 1:1 into two groups. One group received oral CBD (300 mg), and the other received a placebo before listening to a digital audio playback of their previously recorded report of the trigger event. Subjective and physiological measurements were taken before and after recall. We analyzed the data in two subsamples: trigger events involving sexual and nonsexual trauma. Results: In the nonsexual trauma group, the differences between measurements before and after recall were significantly smaller with CBD than placebo; this held true for anxiety and cognitive impairment. However, in the sexual trauma group, the differences were non-significant for both measurements. Conclusion: A single dose of CBD (300mg) attenuated the increased anxiety and cognitive impairment induced by recalling a traumatic event in patients with PTSD when the event involved nonsexual trauma.
- Published
- 2022