Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22832859›Full record

Trial reportTranslational psychiatry2012

Cannabidiol enhances anandamide signaling and alleviates psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia.

F M Leweke, D Piomelli, F Pahlisch, D Muhl, C W Gerth, C Hoyer, J Klosterkötter, M Hellmich, D Koethe

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial, Phase IIComparative StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Translational psychiatry, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06218056 (Evaluating the Efficacy of Cannabidiol for Reducing Cigarette Use), which is not on this map. Cited by 464 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
464citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
38.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06218056 phase2recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

Evaluating the Efficacy of Cannabidiol for Reducing Cigarette Use

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of California, Los AngelesRan2024 to 2026Enrolled120ConditionsTobacco Use Disorder, Tobacco Smoking, Tobacco DependenceArmsCannabidiol (CBD) 800 mg, Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

464 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 1,040 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) guidelines: cannabis for psychological symptoms including insomnia, anxiety, and depression.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023
    Pooled it
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  10. Does cannabidiol reduce the adverse effects of cannabis in schizophrenia? A randomised, double-blind, cross-over trial.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025
    Trial
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  12. Effects of a cannabidiol/terpene formulation on sleep in individuals with insomnia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover study.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2025
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  20. Acute effects of ΔPsychopharmacology · 2022
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404 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

F M LewekeDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
D Piomelli
F Pahlisch
D Muhl
C W Gerth
C Hoyer
J Klosterkötter
M Hellmich
D Koethe
University of Cologne · DECentral Institute of Mental Health · DEItalian Institute of Technology · ITUniversity Hospital Heidelberg · DE

Funding

Characterization of Anandamide Transport in BrainR01DA012413 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · PI PIOMELLI, DANIELE · 1998 to 2016
$4.7M
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cannabidiol is a component of marijuana that does not activate cannabinoid receptors, but moderately inhibits the degradation of the endocannabinoid anandamide. We previously reported that an elevation of anandamide levels in cerebrospinal fluid inversely correlated to psychotic symptoms. Furthermore, enhanced anandamide signaling let to a lower transition rate from initial prodromal states into frank psychosis as well as postponed transition. In our translational approach, we performed a double-blind, randomized clinical trial of cannabidiol vs amisulpride, a potent antipsychotic, in acute schizophrenia to evaluate the clinical relevance of our initial findings. Either treatment was safe and led to significant clinical improvement, but cannabidiol displayed a markedly superior side-effect profile. Moreover, cannabidiol treatment was accompanied by a significant increase in serum anandamide levels, which was significantly associated with clinical improvement. The results suggest that inhibition of anandamide deactivation may contribute to the antipsychotic effects of cannabidiol potentially representing a completely new mechanism in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Indexed as

Schizophrenic PsychologyAcute DiseaseAdultAmidesAmisulprideAntipsychotic AgentsArachidonic AcidsCannabidiolDouble-Blind MethodDrug Therapy, CombinationEndocannabinoidsEthanolaminesFemaleHumansMaleOleic AcidsAmidesAmisulprideanandamideAntipsychotic AgentsArachidonic AcidsCannabidiolEndocannabinoidsEthanolaminesOleic AcidsoleoylethanolamidepalmidrolPalmitic AcidsPolyunsaturated AlkamidesSulpiride

Identifiers

PMID22832859
PMCPMC3316151
OpenAlexW2169269177

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.