Erschienen in:
24.01.2019 | Editorial
Impact of FAAH gene, hyperactivation in emotion processing brain regions and Lavender oil preparation Silexan in anxiety
verfasst von:
Kenji Hashimoto
Erschienen in:
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
|
Ausgabe 2/2019
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Excerpt
Growing evidence suggests that the endogenous cannabinoid system plays a role in normal emotional processing, specifically in the anxiety and stress response, and in affective disorders such as anxiety disorder and depression [
1]. There are several lines of evidence suggesting either therapeutic potential or harmful effects associated with cannabis use in psychiatric disorders [
2]. The integral enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is a catabolic enzyme and primary regulator anandamide signaling in the brain. The single nucleotide polymorphism in the human
FAAH gene results in a missense mutation (385C to A) that converts a conserved proline residue to threonine (Pro129 to Thr), producing a FAAH variant that displays normal catalytic properties but an enhanced sensitivity to proteolytic degradation [
3], resulting in the decreased expression of FAAH protein and enzymatic activity as well as increased anandamide levels in the brain. Thus, it is likely that genetic mutations in
FAAH gene may support a potential link between functional abnormalities in the endogenous cannabinoid system and cannabis abuse. In this issue, the A-allele carriers in the
FAAH gene in healthy young adults (
n = 48) show stronger fronto-amygdala connectivity during rest [
4]. In addition, exploratory whole-brain analyses show differential functional activity of A- allele carriers during emotion reactivity and emotion regulation. This preliminary study suggests a link between
FAAH C385A and fronto-amygdala connectivity during rest, and provides a finding for differential functional activity during emotion reactivity and emotion regulation depending on FAAH genotypes. Further study using a large sample size of patients with anxiety disorder is needed to confirm the role of
FAAH C385A gene in emotion processing or anxiety disorders. …