In 1974, Pfizer developed a synthetic cannabinoid that mimicked the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but was around 40 times stronger. Unfortunately, this synthetic super weed was never marketed. Instead, it’s used to test the effects of THC on lab animals, like the mice in a new Nature study. Using cannabis (as you may know from firsthand experience), can be very relaxing, but it can also produce anxiety. It turns out mice experience the same thing. Now scientists might know what’s going on in the brain during a bad trip.
Neuroscientists from Northwestern University dosed a group of mice with different levels of the synthetic cannabinoid (called CP55940) and placed them in an enclosure with a petri dish of fox urine. Confronted with the scent of a predator, control mice would approach the dish to investigate, give it a few sniffs, and run away. Mice under the influence of CP55940, on the other hand, resisted the urge to investigate and tended to freeze more often.
Read more: “Is Cannabis Good for Your Heart?”
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