Study: CBD Reduces Heroin-Seeking Behavior by Reversing Brain Changes Linked to Relapse
- CBD reduced heroin-seeking behavior by reversing brain changes linked to relapse, particularly in microglial-related pathways in the basolateral amygdala (BLA).
- The study by Icahn School of Medicine used an animal model where rats trained to self-administer heroin showed decreased drug-seeking after CBD treatment at 5 or 10 mg/kg doses.
- CBD normalized gene expression related to microglial function in the BLA, with these gene changes strongly correlated to heroin-seeking behavior, especially in female rats.
- Researchers concluded that CBD’s anti-relapse effects may stem from its ability to normalize heroin-disrupted microglial pathways in brain regions involved in emotional learning and relapse vulnerability.
A new study published in Biological Psychiatry found that cannabidiol (CBD) reduced heroin-seeking behavior by reversing brain changes linked to relapse, particularly in pathways tied to microglial function.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Researchers examined how CBD affects the basolateral amygdala, or BLA, a brain region involved in emotional learning, drug-associated cues and relapse vulnerability, using an animal model.
As noted by researchers, drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder marked by compulsive drug use, abstinence and relapse. CBD, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in marijuana, has drawn growing research interest as a potential anti-relapse treatment. Previous research has found that CBD can reduce cue-induced heroin-seeking, as well as craving and anxiety triggered by drug-associated cues in people with heroin use disorder. However, the mechanisms behind those effects have remained unclear.
For the study, male and female Long Evans rats were trained to self-administer heroin intravenously for 15 days, followed by 14 days of forced abstinence. The rats were then given either a vehicle solution or CBD at doses of 5 or 10 milligrams per kilogram 24 hours before a drug-seeking session.
Researchers found that both doses of CBD significantly reduced heroin-seeking behavior. They also found that CBD reversed the transcriptional signature in the BLA associated with heroin-seeking, with the strongest effects seen in glial-related pathways and microglial processes.
Notably, CBD normalized the expression of genes that regulate microglial function, and those genes were strongly correlated with heroin-seeking behavior. The effect was driven primarily by female rats.
Researchers concluded that CBD may reduce cue-induced drug-seeking by normalizing heroin-disrupted pathways in the BLA, especially those tied to microglial function.