ArticleBiological psychiatry2016
Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Binding in Brain of Cannabis Users: Imaging With the Novel Radiotracer [
Article in Biological psychiatry, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 78 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of sex differences in cannabis use disorder amongst people with comorbid mental illness.The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse · 2021Pooled it
- Acute Cannabis Administration Transiently Reduces Mitochondrial DNA in Young Adults: Findings from a Secondary Analysis of a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial.Cannabis and cannabinoid research · 2025Trial
- PET imaging of FAAH in chronic Cannabis users: longitudinal assessment during short-term abstinence.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Envisioning Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Biased Signaling as a Therapeutic Target for Schizophrenia.The American journal of psychiatry · 2026Review
- PET Molecular Imaging of the Endocannabinoid System in Psychiatric Disorders.Neuroscience bulletin · 2026Review
- Multimodal examination of daily stress rhythms in chronic Cannabis users.Psychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Age differences in endocannabinoid tone are ameliorated after recent cannabis use.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Pharmacotherapy for Cannabis Use Disorder: Preclinical and Clinical Models.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2026Review
- FAAH and MAGL inhibition: Evolving approaches to treating substance use disorders.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2026Review
- Cannabinoid-based Pharmacology for the Management of Substance Use Disorders.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2026Review
- Chemical Probes for Investigating the Endocannabinoid System.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2026Review
- Novel neurotherapeutic targets for substance use disorders: Neuroplasticity, neuroinflammation, gasotransmitters and non-canonical organ systems.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2025Review
- A preliminary investigation of tobacco co-use on endocannabinoid activity in people with cannabis use.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2025Article
- Review
- Cannabis use disorder: from neurobiology to treatment.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2024Review
- Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase and Cannabinoid Receptor Type 1 Genes Regulation is Modulated by Social Isolation in Rats.Neurochemical research · 2024Article
- The Relationship Between Circulating Endogenous Cannabinoids and the Effects of Smoked Cannabis.Cannabis and cannabinoid research · 2023Article
- The endocannabinoid system as a putative target for the development of novel drugs for the treatment of psychiatric illnesses.Psychological medicine · 2023Review
- Review
- Sex differences in endocannabinoid tone in a pilot study of cannabis use disorder and acute cannabis abstinence.Addiction biology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOne of the major mechanisms for terminating the actions of the endocannabinoid anandamide is hydrolysis by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), and inhibitors of the enzyme were suggested as potential treatment for human cannabis dependence. However, the status of brain FAAH in cannabis use disorder is unknown.
methodsBrain FAAH binding was measured with positron emission tomography and [
resultsIn cannabis users, FAAH binding was significantly lower by 14%-20% across the brain regions examined than in matched control subjects (overall Cohen's d = 0.96). Lower binding was negatively correlated with cannabinoid concentrations in blood and urine and was associated with higher trait impulsiveness.
conclusionsLower FAAH binding levels in the brain may be a consequence of chronic and recent cannabis exposure and could contribute to cannabis withdrawal. This effect should be considered in the development of novel treatment strategies for cannabis use disorder that target FAAH and endocannabinoids. Further studies are needed to examine possible changes in FAAH binding during prolonged cannabis abstinence and whether lower FAAH binding predates drug use.
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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.