Role of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) in depression: Translational evidence

De Gregorio D, Manchia M, Carpiniello B, Valtorta F, Nobile M, Gobbi G, Comai S. J Affect Disord. 2019;255:S0165-0327(18)31599-4.

ReviewHumansOther animals

Design

Review

Subjects

Narrative review

Dose used in the study

Not applicable

Duration

Not applicable

What was measured

Receptor targets, animal models of depression, and the one randomised trial of palmitoylethanolamide added to citalopram

What the authors reported

Antidepressant-like activity appears in animal models, and PEA levels rise under stress. The drug acts on PPAR-alpha and the GPR55 receptor, with weak affinity for CB1/CB2. A randomised double-blind trial (Ghazizadeh-Hashemi 2018) showed fast antidepressant action when palmitoylethanolamide was added to citalopram, though the authors note the limited number of studies.

Limits of this study

Narrative review resting on one small add-on trial in people. Independent academic authors (Montreal, Cagliari, Milan).

Source

PubMed 30391203 · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.10.117

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.