A study by Northwestern Medicine indicates that specific cannabinoids, particularly 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), may help mitigate excessive fear responses common in PTSD and anxiety disorders. Researchers discovered that mice with reduced 2-AG levels exhibited heightened fear responses and generalization, indicating a direct role of the endocannabinoid system in fear regulation. Collaborating with Canadian and Swedish researchers, they also linked lower blood 2-AG levels in humans to exaggerated fear responses. This highlights potential therapeutic avenues involving the endocannabinoid system for treating anxiety-related disorders.
Specific cannabinoids produced by the human body may help to quell excessive fear responses in people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety.
The endocannabinoid system in your body regulates neurotransmitters release and is implicated in regulating fear and anxiety responses, particularly through cannabinoid 2-AG.
By observing mice with depleted levels of 2-AG, we found that blocking this cannabinoid leads to over-generalization of fear responses in participants.
In human studies, lower levels of 2-AG were associated with more pronounced fear generalization, suggesting a link between cannabinoid levels and anxiety responses.
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