Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Background The endocannabinoid system is gaining increasing attention as a favorable target for improving posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatments. Exposure therapy is the gold-standard treatment for PTSD, and fear extinction learning is a key concept underlying successful exposure. Methods This study examined the role of genetic endocannabinoid polymorphisms in a fear extinction paradigm with PTSD compared to healthy participants (N = 220). Participants provided saliva for genotyping, completed a fear conditioning and extinction task, with blood samples taken before and after the task (n = 57). Skin conductance was the outcome and was analyzed using mixed models. Results Results...

ABSTRACT Background The current paucity of clinical evidence limits the use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study investigates health-related quality of life (HRQoL) changes and adverse events in patients prescribed CBMPs for PTSD. Methods A case-series of patients from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry was analyzed. HRQoL was assessed at 1-, 3-, and 6-months using validated patient reported outcome measures (PROMs). Adverse events were analyzed according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.050. Results Of 162 included patients, 88.89% (n = 144) were current/previous cannabis users. Median...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract BackgroundPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most highly co-occurring psychiatric disorder among veterans with cannabis use disorder (CUD). Despite some evidence that cannabis use prospectively exacerbates the course of PTSD, which in turn increases the risk for CUD, the causal nature of the relationship between cannabis and psychiatric comorbidity is debated. The longitudinal relationship between PTSD diagnosis and traumatic intrusion symptoms with cannabis use and CUD was examined using cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) analysis. MethodsProspective data from a longitudinal observational study of 361 veterans deployed post-9/11/2001 included PTSD and CUD diagnoses, cannabis use, and PTSD-related...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Purpose of Review Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may use cannabis to reduce symptoms yet are also at risk for developing problematic use. This review outlines theories, summarizes recent empirical studies, and discusses clinical implications of cannabis use and PTSD recovery. Recent Findings Although naturalistic studies and open trials find a relationship between cannabinoids and PTSD symptom reduction, methodological limitations preclude definitive conclusions. The only randomized controlled trial to date found cannabis had no greater effect on PTSD symptoms than placebo. Summary Rigorous studies of the long-term impact of cannabis use on PTSD recovery...

Please use this link to access publication Abstract Background Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can alter the coagulation cascade resulting in hypercoagulability. The aim of our study is to evaluate the impact of THC use on thromboembolic complications (TEC) in geriatric trauma patients (GTP). Methods This is a 2017 analysis of the TQIP database including all GTP (age ≥65 years). Patients were stratified based on THC use. Propensity score matching (1:2 ratio) was performed. Results A total of 2,835 patients were matched (THC+: 945 and THC-: 1,890). Mean age was 70 ± 6 years, 94% sustained blunt injuries, and median ISS was 22[12–27]. Sixty-two percent of patients received thromboprophylaxis, with median time to initiation of 27 h from admission. Overall, the...

Please use this link to access publication Abstract Emotion dysregulation is considered a core component of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cognitive reappraisal is one therapeutic emotion regulation strategy that has been widely studied among individuals with mood and anxiety disorders, and numerous differences in brain activation patterns have been shown between individuals with and without PTSD during tasks of cognitive reappraisal. Prior research among healthy subjects suggests that an acute, low dose of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) could attenuate the neurophysiological discrepancies that exist between individuals with and without PTSD during tasks of emotional processing; however, the effect of an acute, low dose of THC on corticolimbic activity during emotion...

Abstract Individuals diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often comorbid for substance use disorders. Cannabis is widely used by PSTD patients, and the literature is mixed on whether cannabis use ameliorates or exacerbates patient responses to stress-associated conditioned stimuli (stress-CS). We determined if cannabis use affects responsivity to stress-CS in rats receiving 2 h stress in the presence of an odor stress-CS. Three weeks after acute stress, rats self-administered cannabinoids (delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol + cannabidiol; THC + CBD) for 15 days, and the stressed males consumed more THC + CBD than sham males. We then used the stress-CS or a novel odor (stress-NS) to reinstate THC + CBD seeking. Surprisingly, the stress-NS reinstated THC + CBD...

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...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Women present increased susceptibility to anxiety- and stress-related disorders compared to men. A potentially promising pharmacological-based strategy to regulate abnormal aversive memories disrupts their reconsolidation stage after reactivation and destabilization. Male rodent findings indicate that cannabidiol (CBD), a relatively safe and effective treatment for several mental health conditions, can impair the reconsolidation of aversive memories. However, whether and how CBD influences it in females is still unknown. The present study addressed this question in contextually fear-conditioned female rats. We report that systemically administered CBD impaired their reconsolidation, reducing freezing expression for over a week. This action was restricted...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Studies with cannabidiol (CBD) suggest that this compound has anxiolytic properties and may mediate the reconsolidation and extinction of aversive memories. The objective of this study was to test whether the administration of CBD 300 mg before the recall of traumatic events attenuated symptoms usually induced by recall in subjects diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and if its potential effects interfere with the reconsolidation of aversive memories. The double-blind trial included 33 participants of both sexes, aged between 18 and 60 years, diagnosed with PTSD according to the SCID-5 and randomly allocated to two groups treated...