Grant: Project Grant

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders worldwide. SAD occurs early in life and affects 2.5 million Canadians in one year resulting in high individual suffering and large socioeconomic burden. A large number of individuals affected by SAD do not benefit from conventional treatments with antidepressants or psychotherapy and the underlying biological mechanisms of SAD are not well understood. This constitutes an urgent need for investigation of neurobiological mechanisms to inform development of new treatments. Recent evidence suggests that the Endocannabinoid System in the brain is involved in the regulation of anxiety. Elevated activity of the Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH), an enzyme that regulates levels of the endocannabinoid Anandamide, has been suggested as potential mechanism in anxiety disorders. This neuroimaging study aims to determine, for the first time in humans, whether SAD is associated with higher FAAH levels in the brain. Results of this study will help us better understand the biological processes involved in SAD and may guide development of more targeted, future treatments.