PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Ren, Yanhua
AU  - Whittard, John
AU  - Higuera-Matas, Alejandro
AU  - Morris, Claudia V.
AU  - Hurd, Yasmin L.
TI  - Cannabidiol, a Nonpsychotropic Component of Cannabis, Inhibits Cue-Induced Heroin Seeking and Normalizes Discrete Mesolimbic Neuronal Disturbances
AID  - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4291-09.2009
DP  - 2009 Nov 25
TA  - The Journal of Neuroscience
PG  - 14764--14769
VI  - 29
IP  - 47
4099  - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/29/47/14764.short
4100  - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/29/47/14764.full
SO  - J. Neurosci.2009 Nov 25; 29
AB  - There remains debate regarding the impact of cannabis on neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we examined the effects of cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychoactive constituent of cannabis, on heroin self-administration and drug-seeking behavior using an experimental rat model. CBD (5–20 mg/kg) did not alter stable intake of heroin self-administration, extinction behavior, or drug seeking induced by a heroin prime injection. Instead, it specifically attenuated heroin-seeking behavior reinstated by exposure to a conditioned stimulus cue. CBD had a protracted effect with significance evident after 24 h and even 2 weeks after administration. The behavioral effects were paralleled by neurobiological alterations in the glutamatergic and endocannabinoid systems. Discrete disturbances of AMPA GluR1 and cannabinoid type-1 receptor expression observed in the nucleus accumbens associated with stimulus cue-induced heroin seeking were normalized by CBD treatment. The findings highlight the unique contributions of distinct cannabis constituents to addiction vulnerability and suggest that CBD may be a potential treatment for heroin craving and relapse.