The British Journal of Psychiatry (2009) 194: 371-372. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.108.053843
© 2009 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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SHORT REPORTS

Anandamide elevation in cerebrospinal fluid in initial prodromal states of psychosis

Dagmar Koethe, MD*

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Germany

Andrea Giuffrida, PhD*

Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA

Daniela Schreiber, PhD

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Germany, and Departments of Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California, USA

Martin Hellmich, MDSci

Institute of Medical Statistics, Informatics and Epidemiology, University of Cologne, Germany

Frauke Schultze-Lutter, PhD, Stefan Ruhrmann, MD and Joachim Klosterkötter, MD

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Germany

Daniele Piomelli, DPharm, PhD

Departments of Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California, USA

F. Markus Leweke, MD

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, and Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany

Correspondence: Dr. F. Markus Leweke, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany. Email: leweke{at}cimh.de

Declaration of interest

None.

Funding

The study was funded by the Stanley Medical Research Institute (01-315 and 03-NV-003 to F.M.L.), the Koeln Fortune Program (108-2000 to F.M.L.) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (01KN0706 to D.K.).

* These authors contributed equally to the work.

Anandamide is a bioactive lipid binding to cannabinoid receptors. A homeostatic role for anandamide has been suggested in schizophrenia. We investigated its role in initial prodromal states of psychosis. We measured the levels of anandamide and its structural analog oleoylethanolamide in cerebrospinal fluid and serum of patients in the initial prodromal state (n=27) alongside healthy volunteers (n=81) using high-performance liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometry. Cerebrospinal anandamide levels in patients were significantly elevated. Patients with lower levels showed a higher risk for transiting to psychosis earlier. This anandamidergic up-regulation in the initial prodromal course may suggest a protective role of the endocannabinoid system in early schizophrenia.




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