Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Apr 1.
Published in final edited form as: Biol Psychiatry. 2015 Jun 19;79(7):595–603. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.06.015

Table 1.

Summary of key findings from studies of endogenous cannabinoid markers in schizophrenia

Reference Schizophrenia Cohort [n] Technique Finding in Schizophrenia Subjects
Cerebrospinal fluid
(1) first-episode, antipsychotic-naive [47] HPLC/MS elevated CSF anandamide levels
(2) prodromal psychosis [27] HPLC/MS elevated CSF anandamide levels
(3) [10] HPLC/MS elevated CSF anandamide levels
Blood
(4) acute symptoms, off antipsychotics [12] LC-APCI-MS elevated blood anandamide levels
Imaging studies
(5) [9] PET [11C]-OMAR elevated CB1R binding in all brain regions, significant in pons
Postmortem brain studies
Endocannabinoid enzymes
(6) [42] qPCR no change in mRNA levels for endocannabinoid synthesizing (DAGL) and metabolizing (MGL, FAAH) enzymes in PFC area 9
(7) [42] qPCR elevated mRNA levels for 2-AG metabolizing enzyme ABHD6 in PFC area 9 of younger subjects; no changes in antipsychotic- or THC-exposed monkeys
CB1R mRNA and protein
(8) [23] in situ hybridization, immunocytochemistry lower CB1R mRNA and protein levels in PFC area 9; no change in antipsychotic-exposed monkeys
(9) [26] immunocytochemistry lower CB1R immunoreactivity in PFC area 46, no change in depression
(10) [37] qPCR no change in CB1R mRNA levels in PFC area 46
(11) [31] qPCR no change in CB1R mRNA levels in PFC area 9
CB1R autoradiography
(12) [14] CB1R agonist [3H]-CP55940 elevated CB1R binding in PFC area 9, but not hippocampus, caudate, or putamen
(10) [37] [3H]-CP55940 elevated CB1R binding in PFC area 46 in paranoid subjects
(13) [47] CB1R inverse agonist [3H]-MePPEP elevated CB1R binding in PFC areas 9 and 46
(14) [10] CB1R antagonist [3H]-SR141716 elevated CB1R binding in anterior cingulate cortex
(15) [8] [3H]-CP55940 elevated CB1R binding in superficial layers of posterior cingulate cortex
(16) [21] [3H]-OMAR elevated CB1R binding in PFC area 9 in same schizophrenia subjects with lower CB1R mRNA and protein levels (8)

Abbreviations: 2-AG: 2-arachidonoylglyercol; ABHD6: α-β-hydrolase domain 6; CB1R: CB1 receptor: CSF: cerebrospinal fluid; DAGL: diacylglyercol lipase; FAAH; fatty acid amide hydrolase; HPLC/MS: high performance liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry; LC-APCI-MS: liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry; MGL: monoglyceride lipase; PET: positron emission tomography; PFC: prefrontal cortex; qPCR: quantitative polymerase chain reaction; THC: tetrahydrocannabinol