Elevated fatty acid amide hydrolase in the prefrontal cortex of borderline personality disorder: a [ ¹¹C]CURB positron emission tomography study

Abstract

Amygdala-prefrontal cortex (PFC) functional impairments have been linked to emotion dysregulation and aggression in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the major catabolic enzyme for the endocannabinoid anandamide, has been proposed as a key regulator of the amygdala-PFC circuit that subserves emotion regulation. We tested the hypothesis that FAAH levels measured with [ ¹¹C]CURB positron emission tomography in amygdala and PFC would be elevated in BPD and would relate to hostility and aggression. Twenty BPD patients and 20 healthy controls underwent FAAH genotyping (rs324420) and scanning with [ ¹¹C]CURB. BPD patients were medication-free and were not experiencing a current major depressive episode. Regional differences in [ ¹¹C]CURB binding were assessed using multivariate analysis of covariance with PFC and amygdala [ ¹¹C]CURB binding as dependent variables, diagnosis as a fixed factor, and sex and genotype as covariates. [ ¹¹C]CURB binding was marginally elevated across the PFC and amygdala in BPD ( p = 0.08). In a priori selected PFC, but not amygdala, [ ¹¹C]CURB binding was significantly higher in BPD (11.0%, p = 0.035 versus 10.6%, p = 0.29). PFC and amygdala [ ¹¹C]CURB binding was positively correlated with measures of hostility in BPD ( r > 0.4; p < 0.04). This study is the first to provide preliminary evidence of elevated PFC FAAH binding in any psychiatric condition. Findings are consistent with the model that lower endocannabinoid tone could perturb PFC circuitry that regulates emotion and aggression. Replication of these findings could encourage testing of FAAH inhibitors as innovative treatments for BPD.