A study by Yale researchers reveals brain cannabinoid receptors are decreased in schizophrenia.
Researchers Mohini Ranganathan, MBBS, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry; Deepak Cyril D'Souza, MBBS, MD, Professor of Psychiatry; and others from the Schizophrenia Neuropharmacology Research Group at Yale and the Yale PET Center reported the findings in a paper published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.
The findings show the decreases in cannabinoid receptors are unrelated to exposure to cannabis. Treatment with antipsychotic drugs and tobacco smoking may increase CB1R availability in this schizophrenia. Their findings suggest that endocannabinoid system dysfunction may contribute to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
Biological Psychiatry is the official journal of the Society of Biological Psychiatry.