Persistent sleep disturbances such as increased arousal, reduced sleep efficiency caused by increased wakefulness from sleep, insomnia, nightmares, disrupted REM sleep, and periodic limb movements, are highly prevalent in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients. Growing evidence indicates that sleep disturbances are the core features, rather than secondary symptoms, of PTSD. Sleep disruption caused by the traumatic event may involve the pathological development of chronic PTSD. Present results suggest CBD blocks anxiety-induced REM sleep alteration via its anxiolytic effect, rather than via sleep regulation per se. The anxiolytic effect of CBD might be due to the inhibition of endogenous endocannabinoid (anandamide) uptake and hydrolysis, or by its anti-oxidative effect. A rat model of PTSD has been developed to test this hypothesis. The model has shown that CBD was able to disrupt the sleep-memory reconstruction that leads to the reinforcement of negative memories which propagate the symptoms of PTSD. The CBD-induced disruption allows healing to occur on the neuronal level. This round robin will discuss the physiological markers of PTSD and the implications this study has for PTSD therapy. We will also highlight the cellular targets of CBD that can affect positive changes in damaged neurons, and how this leads to healing in patients.
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