PRIMARY STUDY

Cannabinoids Prevent the Effects of a Footshock Followed by Situational Reminders on Emotional Processing

Key Findings:  Researchers posited that what we do in the first few hours after trauma exposure may alter the course of PTSD. In this experiment the scientists examined whether cannabinoids can prevent the effects of a single footshock followed by situational reminders on emotional processing. WIN55,212-2 (CB1/2 receptor agonist) was injected 2 h after the shock. One week later, PTSD-like symptoms were examined. WIN55,212-2 prevented the effects of the shock including impaired extinction of the traumatic event, impaired plasticity in the hippocmapal-accumbens pathway, enhanced latency to startle, and altered expression of CB1 receptors and glucocorticoid receptors in the the first region in the hippocampal circuit cornu Ammonis1 (CA1), basolateral amygdala (BLA) and prefrontal cortex (PFC).