Effects of acute cannabidiol administration on anxiety and tremors induced by a Simulated Public Speaking Test in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Background: Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the main components of Cannabis sativa and has anxiolytic properties, but no study has been conducted to evaluate the effects of CBD on anxiety signs and symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of acute CBD administration at a dose of 300 mg on anxiety measures and tremors induced by a Simulated Public Speaking Test (SPST) in individuals with PD. Methods: A randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trial was conducted. A total of 24 individuals with PD were included and underwent two experimental sessions within a 15-day interval. After taking CBD or a placebo, participants underwent the SPST. During the test, the following data were collected: heart rate, systemic blood pressure and tremor frequency and amplitude. In addition, the Visual Analog Mood Scales (VAMS) and Self-Statements during Public Speaking Scale were applied. Statistical analysis was performed by repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) while considering the drug, SPST phase and interactions between these variables. Results: There were statistically significant differences in the VAMS anxiety factor for the drug; CBD attenuated the anxiety experimentally induced by the SPST. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant differences in the drug for the variable related to tremor amplitude as recorded by the accelerometer. Conclusion: Acute CBD administration at a dose of 300 mg decreased anxiety in patients with PD, and there was also decreased tremor amplitude in an anxiogenic situation.

Prescribing medicinal cannabis

“…The anxiolytic effects of CBD are described in the literature. 13,17,18 The TGA has published a series of clinical guidance documents that summarise the available evidence for medicinal cannabis products in chronic pain, palliative care, epilepsy, spasticity in multiple sclerosis and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. However, definitive evidence in support of specific medicinal cannabis products for various conditions is often not available.…”

Comparison of Five Oral Cannabidiol Preparations in Adult Humans: Pharmacokinetics, Body Composition, and Heart Rate Variability

“…One of the inconsistent physiological responses to CBD administration is the cardiovascular response [9]. Some studies have reported changes in heart rate and/or blood pressure following acute CBD consumption [10,11] while others have reported no measurable effect [12,13]. Changes in heart rate (in any direction) are almost always mediated by changes in the sympathovagal balance; this balance is typically described via heart rate variability.…”

Subacute cannabidiol alters genome‐wide DNA methylation in adult mouse hippocampus

“…Discovered in 1940 and its structure determined in 1963, CBD acts on multiple pathways in the brain and modulates the psychoactive effects of Δ 9 ‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (Zuardi et al ., 1982; Malone et al ., 2009; Mannucci et al ., 2017; Murphy et al ., 2017; Crippa et al ., 2018; Mokrysz et al ., 2020). CBD alone has recently been investigated for its therapeutic potential in psychiatric phenotypes including anxiety, depression, sociality, drug craving, and others in animal studies and a limited number of clinical trials (Table SI) (Zuardi et al ., 1993; Ren et al ., 2009; El‐Alfy et al ., 2010; Bergamaschi et al ., 2011; Crippa et al ., 2011; Réus et al ., 2011; Schubart et al ., 2011; Campos et al ., 2012; Leweke et al ., 2012; de Mello Schier et al ., 2014; de Carvalho and Takahashi, 2017; Osborne et al ., 2017a; Bhattacharyya et al ., 2018; Mandolini et al ., 2018; McGuire et al ., 2018; Masataka 2019; de Faria et al ., 2020; Sales et al ., 2020; Skelley et al ., 2020). Previously studied mechanisms of CBD action include indirect stimulation of endocannabinoid receptor CB1 via delayed hydrolysis and reuptake of the endocannabinoid anandamide ( AEA ), action at the serotonin 1a ( 5HT‐1a ), peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma ( PPARγ ), and transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V ( TRPV ) receptors, neuroprotection, stimulation of neurogenesis, and antioxidant activity (Alline C. Campos et al ., 2013; Alline Cristina Campos and Guimarães, 2008; Hampson et al ., 1998; Pumroy et al ., 2019; Schiavon et al ., 2016; Vallée et al ., 2017).…”