“Currently available antidepressants have a substantial time lag to induce therapeutic response and a relatively low efficacy”, states the study’s researchers, noting that “The development of drugs that addresses these limitations is critical to improving public health.”

Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotomimetic component of Cannabis sativa, “is a promising compound since it shows large-spectrum therapeutic potential in preclinical models and humans.” However, “its antidepressant properties have not been completely investigated.” Therefore, the aims of this study “were to investigate in male rodents (i) whether CBD could induce rapid and sustained antidepressant-like effects after a single administration and (ii) whether such effects could be related to changes in synaptic proteins/function.”

Results showed that “a single dose of CBD dose-dependently induced antidepressant-like effect” in Swiss mice, 30 min (acute) or 7 days (sustained) following treatment. Similar effects were observed using different rat tests.

“These results indicate that CBD induces fast and sustained antidepressant-like effect in distinct animal models relevant for depression”, researchers claim. They conclude by stating that “The data support a promising therapeutic profile for CBD as a new fast-acting antidepressant drug.”

For the full study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil and Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, click here.

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