During the last decades, emerging investigations have focused on the role of lipid transmitters, instead of traditional neurotransmitters, as targets for many neuropsychiatric disorders. Lipid transmitters are small molecules that are primarily generated enzymatically by the cleavage of phospholipids, which are structural components of the cell membrane. Among lipid transmitters, acylethanolamides such as OEA and palmitoylethanolamide have been shown to be upregulated in several brain disorders and to exert neuroprotective properties though the modulation of oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, glial cell proliferation or neurotransmission. The disorders in which these acylethanolamides participate include stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, Hungtington’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or substance use disorders, among others.
