CBD works better than sertraline for PTSD symptoms in mice

This study in mice compares the effectiveness of CBD for PTSD symptoms to Sertraline, a commonly prescribed SSRI-class drug. It was published in the journal Psychopharmacology in April 2022.

The researchers used a standard mouse model called the modified pre-shock model to evaluate PTSD-like behaviors from days 3 to 26. The dosage of CBD used was 10 mg/kg, or equal to about 680mg for a 150lb (68kg) human.

CBD alleviated the main PTSD-like symptoms by attenuating trauma-related fear memory and anxiety-like behavior, and increasing social interaction behavior. The effects were observed regardless of whether administration occurred before, during, or after re-exposure to the trauma context.

"Sertraline (15 mg/kg) was only effective when administered before the behavioral test. CBD also reduced the consolidation, retrieval, and reconsolidation of trauma-related fear memory, whereas sertraline only reduced fear-memory retrieval."

"CBD produced anti-PTSD-like actions in mice and disrupted trauma-related fear memory by interfering with multiple aspects of fear memory processing. These findings indicate that CBD may be a promising candidate for treating PTSD."

The paper abstract is here at Springer Link.