CBD May Counter Meth-Induced Psychosis Symptoms by Protecting Brain Cells, Reports Study
- The study published in Phytomedicine found that cannabidiol (CBD) may reduce anxiety-like behavior, memory problems, and brain cell damage caused by methamphetamine exposure.
- In mouse models, CBD at 40 mg/kg improved anxiety-like behaviors and cognitive functions such as memory, learning, and object recognition affected by methamphetamine.
- CBD's effects appear linked to the sigma-1 receptor, where it reduces oxidative stress, calcium imbalance, and mitochondrial damage in the hippocampus caused by methamphetamine.
- The research suggests CBD could be a potential treatment for methamphetamine-induced psychosis, though findings are limited to preclinical studies and require further investigation in humans.
A new study published in Phytomedicine reports that cannabidiol (CBD) may help reduce anxiety-like behavior, memory problems and brain cell damage caused by methamphetamine exposure. The research was conducted by scientists at Kunming Medical University, who examined how CBD affects methamphetamine-induced psychosis, a condition that can develop in a significant portion of chronic meth users and is often marked by psychiatric symptoms and cognitive decline. Using both mouse models and cell-based experiments, the researchers found that CBD appeared to improve several behavioral and biological markers linked to the condition.
In the animal portion of the study, mice given CBD at a dose of 40 milligrams per kilogram showed reduced anxiety-like behavior and improved cognitive performance in multiple tests, including those measuring memory, learning and object recognition. According to the study, CBD “alleviated METH-induced anxiety-like behaviors and cognitive deficits in mice.”
The researchers say the benefits appear to be tied to how CBD interacts with the sigma-1 receptor, a protein involved in cellular stress and mitochondrial function. The study found that methamphetamine exposure increased oxidative stress, disrupted calcium balance and damaged mitochondria in the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory. CBD reduced those effects, lowering mitochondrial superoxide production, easing calcium overload and helping preserve membrane potential.
Researchers also found that blocking or removing the sigma-1 receptor produced similar protective effects, while increasing its activity weakened CBD’s impact. The study says this supports the idea that CBD works in part by targeting that receptor and limiting the oxidative stress it helps drive.
The study’s conclusion states that CBD “alleviates METH-induced anxiety-like behaviors, cognitive impairments, and hippocampal neuronal damage in mice by attenuating σ1R-mediated mitochondrial oxidative stress and Ca²⁺ overload.”
Although the findings are limited to preclinical models and do not prove the same effects would happen in people, the results point to a possible new avenue for treating methamphetamine-induced psychosis and its neurological effects.