Inflammatory state moderates response to cannabis on negative affect and sleep quality in individuals with anxiety
IntroductionInflammation has been implicated as an underlying pathology in negative affect and sleep disruption. Cannabinoids like delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to assess if cannabis use altered cytokine conc...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1549311/full |
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| author | Jonathon K. Lisano Carillon J. Skrzynski Gregory Giordano Angela D. Bryan L. Cinnamon Bidwell L. Cinnamon Bidwell |
| author_facet | Jonathon K. Lisano Carillon J. Skrzynski Gregory Giordano Angela D. Bryan L. Cinnamon Bidwell L. Cinnamon Bidwell |
| author_sort | Jonathon K. Lisano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionInflammation has been implicated as an underlying pathology in negative affect and sleep disruption. Cannabinoids like delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to assess if cannabis use altered cytokine concentration and whether inflammatory status moderated the influence of 4 weeks of cannabis use on negative affect and sleep quality in anxious individuals.MethodsParticipants with mild or greater anxiety (n = 147) were assigned to one of three cannabis chemovars (THC + CBD, THC, CBD), asked to consume their products ad libitum for 4 weeks, and were compared to a group of participants with anxiety who did not use cannabis (n = 24). Measures of negative affect (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21: DASS-21), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: PSQI), and plasma cytokine concentrations were measured at Baseline and Week-4. Multilevel modeling assessed if there were group-dependent changes in cytokine concentrations over time, and whether baseline inflammation moderated the association between cannabis use and both negative affect and sleep quality.ResultsThere were no group-dependent changes in cytokine concentrations throughout the study (p = 0.12). It was observed that baseline inflammatory state moderated the group-by-time relationship for DASS-21 (p < 0.001) and PSQI (p = 0.04). In both models, chemovars higher in CBD produced more consistent improvements, while THC-associated improvements varied by baseline inflammatory state.ConclusionThese novel findings suggest that baseline inflammatory status influences the relationship between cannabis use, negative affect, and sleep quality in people with anxiety. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0801b3bbeabb4495b6ccd3fb81e30158 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1662-5153 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj-art-0801b3bbeabb4495b6ccd3fb81e301582025-08-20T03:28:26ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience1662-51532025-07-011910.3389/fnbeh.2025.15493111549311Inflammatory state moderates response to cannabis on negative affect and sleep quality in individuals with anxietyJonathon K. Lisano0Carillon J. Skrzynski1Gregory Giordano2Angela D. Bryan3L. Cinnamon Bidwell4L. Cinnamon Bidwell5Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United StatesInstitute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United StatesIntroductionInflammation has been implicated as an underlying pathology in negative affect and sleep disruption. Cannabinoids like delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to assess if cannabis use altered cytokine concentration and whether inflammatory status moderated the influence of 4 weeks of cannabis use on negative affect and sleep quality in anxious individuals.MethodsParticipants with mild or greater anxiety (n = 147) were assigned to one of three cannabis chemovars (THC + CBD, THC, CBD), asked to consume their products ad libitum for 4 weeks, and were compared to a group of participants with anxiety who did not use cannabis (n = 24). Measures of negative affect (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21: DASS-21), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: PSQI), and plasma cytokine concentrations were measured at Baseline and Week-4. Multilevel modeling assessed if there were group-dependent changes in cytokine concentrations over time, and whether baseline inflammation moderated the association between cannabis use and both negative affect and sleep quality.ResultsThere were no group-dependent changes in cytokine concentrations throughout the study (p = 0.12). It was observed that baseline inflammatory state moderated the group-by-time relationship for DASS-21 (p < 0.001) and PSQI (p = 0.04). In both models, chemovars higher in CBD produced more consistent improvements, while THC-associated improvements varied by baseline inflammatory state.ConclusionThese novel findings suggest that baseline inflammatory status influences the relationship between cannabis use, negative affect, and sleep quality in people with anxiety.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1549311/fullTHCCBDcytokinesdepressionanxietystress |
| spellingShingle | Jonathon K. Lisano Carillon J. Skrzynski Gregory Giordano Angela D. Bryan L. Cinnamon Bidwell L. Cinnamon Bidwell Inflammatory state moderates response to cannabis on negative affect and sleep quality in individuals with anxiety Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience THC CBD cytokines depression anxiety stress |
| title | Inflammatory state moderates response to cannabis on negative affect and sleep quality in individuals with anxiety |
| title_full | Inflammatory state moderates response to cannabis on negative affect and sleep quality in individuals with anxiety |
| title_fullStr | Inflammatory state moderates response to cannabis on negative affect and sleep quality in individuals with anxiety |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inflammatory state moderates response to cannabis on negative affect and sleep quality in individuals with anxiety |
| title_short | Inflammatory state moderates response to cannabis on negative affect and sleep quality in individuals with anxiety |
| title_sort | inflammatory state moderates response to cannabis on negative affect and sleep quality in individuals with anxiety |
| topic | THC CBD cytokines depression anxiety stress |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1549311/full |
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