Supplement
Oleamide is a fatty compound the body makes naturally, which builds up in spinal fluid during sleep deprivation and appears to act on calming brain signals. People mostly look at it for sleep, and in rodents it made animals fall asleep sooner and sleep longer. No human trials have been run, so the evidence is limited, and most other findings come from animal or lab work.
Sources: PMID 7770779; PMID 8955882
- Updated
- How we grade
- 28 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade C
- Conditions studied
- 2
- Outcomes
- 9
- Graded outcomes
- 0018
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
General
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety Symptoms In rodent models, oleamide produced anxiolytic-like effects in both group-housed and socially isolated mice, with behavioral changes observed across multiple anxiety paradigms. The effect may involve serotonin receptor modulation and cannabinoid receptor interaction. | Improves (the measure goes down) | Moderate effect | 4 studies | |||
Studies that measured anxiety symptoms
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| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Function In rodent studies, oleamide affected choline acetyltransferase activity and cognitive performance. However, FAAH-knockout mice showed disrupted working memory in water maze tasks with oleamide, suggesting dose- and context-dependent cognitive effects. Evidence is mixed and limited to animal models. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 4 studies | |||
Studies that measured cognitive function
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Key findings
- Sleep InductionImproves (the measure goes up)
- GABAergic NeurotransmissionImproves (the measure goes up)
- Endocannabinoid ToneImproves (the measure goes up)
Safety notes in the studies
- It accumulates endogenously in cerebrospinal fluid during sleep deprivation, and its mechanism involves GABAergic potentiation, serotonergic modulation, and endocannabinoid system interaction.
- The effect may involve serotonin receptor modulation and cannabinoid receptor interaction.
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- Grade C
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Studies cited
28 studies from PubMed
- Oleamide: a fatty acid amide signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system?
- Anxiolytic-like effects of oleamide in group-housed and socially isolated mice.
- Neuropharmacological effects of oleamide in male and female mice.
- Fatty acid amide hydrolase (-/-) mice exhibit an increased sensitivity to the disruptive effects of anandamide or oleamide in a working memory water maze task.
- Vasorelaxant effects of oleamide in rat small mesenteric artery indicate action at a novel cannabinoid receptor.
- Enhanced radiosensitization of p53 mutant cells by oleamide.
- Oleamide: a member of the endocannabinoid family?
- Effects of oleamide on choline acetyltransferase and cognitive activities.
- The serotonergic system may be involved in the sleep-inducing action of oleamide in rats.
- The sleep hormone oleamide modulates inhibitory ionotropic receptors in mammalian CNS in vitro.
- Oleamide attenuates apoptotic death in cultured rat cerebellar granule neurons.
- Anesthetic-like interaction of the sleep-inducing lipid oleamide with voltage-gated sodium channels in mammalian brain.
- Fatty acid amide hydrolase: biochemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutic possibilities for an enzyme hydrolyzing anandamide, 2-arachidonoylglycerol, palmitoylethanolamide, and oleamide.
- Effect of oleamide on sleep and its relationship to blood pressure, body temperature, and locomotor activity in rats.
- The hypnotic actions of the fatty acid amide, oleamide.
- Effect of oleamide on Ca(2+) signaling in human bladder cancer cells.
- Stereoselective modulatory actions of oleamide on GABA(A) receptors and voltage-gated Na(+) channels in vitro: a putative endogenous ligand for depressant drug sites in CNS.
- Exceptionally potent inhibitors of fatty acid amide hydrolase: the enzyme responsible for degradation of endogenous oleamide and anandamide.
- Modification of 5-HT2 receptor mediated behaviour in the rat by oleamide and the role of cannabinoid receptors.
- Studies on the sedative and hypnotic effects of oleamide in mice.
- Allosteric regulation by oleamide of the binding properties of 5-hydroxytryptamine7 receptors.
- Oleamide potentiates benzodiazepine-sensitive gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor activity but does not alter minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration.
- Modulation of GABA(A) receptors and inhibitory synaptic currents by the endogenous CNS sleep regulator cis-9,10-octadecenoamide (cOA).
- Oleamide: an endogenous sleep-inducing lipid and prototypical member of a new class of biological signaling molecules.
- Chemical requirements for inhibition of gap junction communication by the biologically active lipid oleamide.
- cis-9,10-octadecenoamide, an endogenous sleep-inducing CNS compound, inhibits lymphocyte proliferation.
- Enzymatic synthesis of oleamide (cis-9, 10-octadecenoamide), an endogenous sleep-inducing lipid, by rat brain microsomes.
- Chemical characterization of a family of brain lipids that induce sleep.