title: Rimonabant effects on anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in healthy humans: a preliminary report.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the hypothesis that rimonabant, a cannabinoid antagonist/inverse agonist, would increase anxiety in healthy subjects during a simulation of the public speaking test.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were randomly allocated to receive oral placebo or 90 mg rimonabant in a double-blind design. Subjective effects were measured by Visual Analogue Mood Scale. Physiological parameters, namely arterial blood pressure and heart rate, also were monitored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve participants received oral placebo and 12 received 90 mg rimonabant. Rimonabant increased self-reported anxiety levels during the anticipatory speech and performance phase compared with placebo. Interestingly, rimonabant did not modulate anxiety prestress and was not associated with sedation, cognitive impairment, discomfort, or blood pressure changes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cannabinoid-1 antagonism magnifies the responses to an anxiogenic stimulus without interfering with the prestress phase. These data suggest that the endocannabinoid system may work on-demand to counteract the consequences of anxiogenic stimuli in healthy humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Department of Clinical, Toxicological and Food Sciences Analysis, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil; CNPq, National Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mateus M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bergamaschi
authors.forename: Regina H C
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Queiroz
authors.forename: Marcos H N
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chagas
authors.forename: Ila M P
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Linares
authors.forename: Kátia C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Arrais
authors.forename: Danielle C G
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Queiroz
authors.forename: Antonio E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Nardi
authors.forename: Marilyn A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Huestis
authors.forename: Jaime E C
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hallak
authors.forename: Antonio W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Zuardi
authors.forename: Fabrício A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: José A S
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Crippa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D063387:Cannabinoid Receptor Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010880:Piperidines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011720:Pyrazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D043884:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000077285:Rimonabant; D013060:Speech / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D063387:Cannabinoid Receptor Antagonists; D010880:Piperidines; D011720:Pyrazoles; D043884:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1; D000077285:Rimonabant
keywords: CB1 receptor; SR141716; anxiety; public speaking test; rimonabant