Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37085531›Full record

Trial reportTranslational psychiatry2023

Effects of cannabidiol on anandamide levels in individuals with cannabis use disorder: findings from a randomised clinical trial for the treatment of cannabis use disorder.

Daniel Ying-Heng Hua, Chandni Hindocha, Gianluca Baio, Rachel Lees, Natacha Shaban, Celia J Morgan, Ali Mofeez, H Valerie Curran, Tom P Freeman

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Translational psychiatry, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
6.5field-weighted citation impact, top 3% 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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pharmacotherapies for cannabis use disorder.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
    Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Observational
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Review
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 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Daniel Ying-Heng HuaAddiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1942-4957
Chandni HindochaClinical Psychopharmacology Unit, UCL, London, UK.
Gianluca BaioUniversity College London, London, UK.
Rachel LeesAddiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
Natacha ShabanUniversity of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Celia J MorganWashington Singer Labs, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Ali MofeezPain Management Centre, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, UCLH, London, UK.
H Valerie CurranClinical Psychopharmacology Unit, UCL, London, UK.
Tom P FreemanAddiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK. t.p.freeman@bath.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-5667-507X
University College London · GBUniversity of Bath · GBNational Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery · GBUniversity of Exeter · GBUniversity of Oxford · GB

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/K015524/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cannabidiol (CBD) has shown promise in treating psychiatric disorders, including cannabis use disorder - a major public health burden with no approved pharmacotherapies. However, the mechanisms through which CBD acts are poorly understood. One potential mechanism of CBD is increasing levels of anandamide, which has been implicated in psychiatric disorders including depression and cannabis use disorder. However, there is a lack of placebo-controlled human trials investigating this in psychiatric disorders. We therefore assessed whether CBD affects plasma anandamide levels compared to placebo, within a randomised clinical trial of CBD for the treatment of cannabis use disorder. Individuals meeting criteria for cannabis use disorder and attempting cannabis cessation were randomised to 28-day administration with placebo (n = 23), 400 mg CBD/day (n = 24) or 800 mg CBD/day (n = 23). We estimated the effects of each CBD dose compared to placebo on anandamide levels from baseline to day 28. Analyses were conducted both unadjusted and adjusted for cannabis use during the trial to account for effects of cannabis on the endocannabinoid system. We also investigated whether changes in plasma anandamide levels were associated with clinical outcomes relevant for cannabis use disorder (cannabis use, withdrawal, anxiety, depression). There was an effect of 800 mg CBD compared to placebo on anandamide levels from baseline to day 28 after adjusting for cannabis use. Pairwise comparisons indicated that anandamide levels unexpectedly reduced from baseline to day 28 in the placebo group (-0.048, 95% CI [-0.089, -0.007]), but did not change in the 800 mg CBD group (0.005, 95% CI [-0.036, 0.047]). There was no evidence for an effect of 400 mg CBD compared to placebo. Changes in anandamide levels were not associated with clinical outcomes. In conclusion, this study found preliminary evidence that 28-day treatment with CBD modulates anandamide levels in individuals with cannabis use disorder at doses of 800 mg/day but not 400 mg/day compared to placebo.

Indexed as

CannabidiolCannabisHallucinogensMarijuana AbuseArachidonic AcidsDouble-Blind MethodDronabinolEndocannabinoidsHumansPolyunsaturated AlkamidesanandamideArachidonic AcidsCannabidiolDronabinolEndocannabinoidsHallucinogensPolyunsaturated Alkamides

Identifiers

PMID37085531
PMCPMC10121552
OpenAlexW4366742183

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.