Cannabidiol Effects on Learning and Anxiety

Summary

To examine the extent to which Cannabidiol (CBD) enhances fear conditioning extinction in college undergraduates who show elevated social anxiety. Undergraduates who display elevated social anxiety on standard assessments will be recruited at the University of Connecticut. All participants will be put in a standard fear conditioning paradigm where they are conditioned to fear a face that occasionally is followed by a shock to their wrist. The other face never is paired with a shock. After everybody learns this, half of the participants will receive 600 mg CBD Isolate Gel Capsules one time, and the other half will receive a placebo dose. Participants will then be presented with the faces with no shocks, and the rate and duration of extinction as measured by electrodermal response as well as subjective fear ratings via a visual analogue scale will be examined. It is hypothesized that participants that receive CBD will display enhanced extinction compared to the placebo group, as evidenced by reduced electrodermal response and reduced visual analogue fear ratings.

Eligibility

Age range

18–50 years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Interventions

• Drug
  Cannabidiol Oral Product

  Participants will receive a one-time dose of 600 mg Cannabidiol Isolate Gel Capsules in the form of six 100mg capsules.

• Other
  Placebo

  Participants will receive a one-time dose of placebo capsules in the form of six capsules.

Location