What happens in the brain when cannabis makes you anxious?
Northwestern University researchers have identified specific somatostatin neurons in the amygdala that trigger anxiety when cannabinoids are combined with stressful environments. Using mice, the study demonstrated that silencing these neurons can reduce fear-related behaviors.
Why it matters
Understanding the neurological basis for cannabis-induced anxiety could help explain adverse reactions in users and inform future psychiatric research.
Northwestern scientists have identified, for the first time, a specific group of neurons -- cells in the brain -- that appear to contribute to anxiety caused by cannabinoid drugs, particularly when those drugs are combined with stressful conditions. Cannabinoids are a category of substances that includes THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.
To investigate how cannabinoids influence fear and anxiety, researchers exposed mice to a threatening smell derived from fox urine. Before encountering the odor, the animals were given either a placebo or a synthetic cannabinoid drug.
Mice that received the cannabinoid froze more frequently and spent less time exploring the predator scent. Researchers traced these anxiety related behaviors to increased activity in a small population of brain cells known as somatostatin neurons. These neurons are located in the central amygdala, an area of the brain involved in processing fear and stress.
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