 Piomelli has made important contributions to the understanding of lipid mediator function in the brain and nervous system.He elucidated the biochemical pathways involved in the formation and deactivation of the lipid-derived endocannabinoids – anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol  – and uncovered various physiological roles played by these compounds.Additionally, he described the functions of two lipid amides –palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and oleoylethanolamide – in the control of pain  and feeding, and identified the cellular receptors involved in such functions.