Plasma endocannabinoids in cocaine dependence and their relation to cerebral metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 density

Sara L Kroll, Lea M Hulka, Ann-Kathrin Kexel, Matthias Vonmoos, Katrin H Preller, Valerie Treyer, Simon M Ametamey, Markus R Baumgartner, Carola Boost, Franziska Pahlisch, Cathrin Rohleder, F Markus Leweke, Boris B Quednow. Transl Psychiatry. 2023 Oct 19;13(1):325.

Observational studyHumans

Design

Observational study

Subjects

103 chronic cocaine users (69 recreational, 34 dependent) and 92 stimulant-naive controls; 33 users and 43 controls at 12-month follow-up; PET in 18 users and 16 controls

Dose used in the study

Not applicable; palmitoylethanolamide was measured in plasma, not given

Duration

Baseline with a 12-month follow-up

What was measured

Plasma AEA, 2-AG, PEA and OEA, and cerebral mGluR5 density by PET in a male subsample.

What the authors reported

The study found:

• Dependent cocaine users had higher plasma 2-AG than controls and recreational users, with levels stable over 12 months.
• In the PET subsample, 2-AG correlated with mGluR5 density only in cocaine users.
• The abstract reports no group difference for PEA.

Limits of this study

An observational biomarker study; it cannot show cause or any effect of taking PEA. PET subsample was small and male only. Two authors are shareholders in biotech companies and one received funding from Gilead Sciences.

Source

PubMed 37857616 · doi:10.1038/s41398-023-02628-7

Entry checked against the abstract on PubMed on 2026-09-22. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.