THC and CBD produce divergent effects on perception and panic behaviours via distinct cortical molecular pathways.
Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry January 10, 2021 Hanna J Szkudlarek, Mar Rodríguez-ruiz, Roger Hudson et al.
In rats, THC infused directly into the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) caused strong panic-like responses, while CBD did not affect panic but blocked the formation of associative fear memories and impaired latent inhibition and oddity discrimination. CBD counteracted THC-induced panic and prevented THC-driven phosphorylation of ERK1/2. CBD's effects on perception and latent inhibition depended on 5-HT1A receptor transmission and were accompanied by reduced phosphorylation of p70S6K, independently of THC. The findings suggest dissociable molecular mechanisms: THC promotes panic via ERK1/2 phosphorylation, while CBD impairs perceptive functions via 5-HT1A receptors and reduced p70S6K phosphorylation.