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Mollica A, Ng E, Burke MJ, Nestor SM, Lee H, Rabin JS, Hamani C, Lipsman N, Giacobbe P. Treatment expectations and clinical outcomes following repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment-resistant depression. Brain Stimul 2024; 17:752-759. [PMID: 38901565 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2024.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patient expectations, including both positive (placebo) and negative (nocebo) effects, influence treatment outcomes, yet their impact on acute repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is unclear. METHODS In this single-center retrospective chart review, 208 TRD patients completed the Stanford Expectation of Treatment Scale (SETS) before starting open-label rTMS treatment. Patients were offered two excitatory rTMS protocols (deep TMS or intermittent theta-burst stimulation), which stimulated the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. A minimum of 20 once daily treatments were provided, delivered over 4-6 weeks. Primary outcomes were 1) remission, measured by a post-treatment score of <8 on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), and 2) premature discontinuation. The change in HAMD-17 scores over time was used as a secondary outcome. Physicians were blinded to SETS scores. Logistic and linear regression, adjusting for covariates, assessed SETS and HAMD-17 relationships. RESULTS Of 208 patients, 177 had baseline and covariate data available. The mean positivity bias score (positive expectancy minus negative expectancy subscale averages) was 0.48 ± 2.21, indicating the cohort was neutral regarding the expectations of their treatment on average. Higher positive expectancy scores were significantly associated with greater odds of remission (OR = 1.90, p = 0.003) and greater reduction in HAMD-17 scores (β = 1.30, p = 0.005) at the end of acute treatment, after adjusting for covariates. Negative expectancy was not associated with decreased odds of remission (p = 0.2) or treatment discontinuation (p = 0.8). CONCLUSIONS Higher pre-treatment positive expectations were associated with greater remission rates with open-label rTMS in a naturalistic cohort of patients with TRD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano Mollica
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Enoch Ng
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Matthew J Burke
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sean M Nestor
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hyewon Lee
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jennifer S Rabin
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Clement Hamani
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nir Lipsman
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Peter Giacobbe
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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Szigeti B, Heifets BD. Expectancy Effects in Psychedelic Trials. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2024; 9:512-521. [PMID: 38387698 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Clinical trials of psychedelic compounds like psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and N,N-dimethyltrptamine (DMT) have forced a reconsideration of how nondrug factors, such as participant expectations, are measured and controlled in mental health research. As doses of these profoundly psychoactive substances increase, so does the difficulty in concealing the treatment condition in the classic double-blind, placebo-controlled trial design. As widespread public enthusiasm for the promise of psychedelic therapy grows, so do questions regarding whether and how much trial results are biased by positive expectancy. First, we review the key concepts related to expectancy and its measurement. Then, we review expectancy effects that have been reported in both micro- and macrodose psychedelic trials from the modern era. Finally, we consider expectancy as a discrete physiological process that can be independent of, or even interact with, the drug effect. Expectancy effects can be harnessed to improve treatment outcomes and can also be actively managed in controlled studies to enhance the rigor and generalizability of future psychedelic trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balázs Szigeti
- Translational Psychedelic Research Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Boris D Heifets
- Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.
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3
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Seymour J, Mathers N. Placebo stimulates neuroplasticity in depression: implications for clinical practice and research. Front Psychiatry 2024; 14:1301143. [PMID: 38268561 PMCID: PMC10806142 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1301143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Neither psychological nor neuroscientific investigations have been able to fully explain the paradox that placebo is designed to be inert in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), yet appears to be effective in evaluations of clinical interventions in all fields of medicine and alternative medicine. This article develops the Neuroplasticity Placebo Theory, which posits that neuroplasticity in fronto-limbic areas is the unifying factor in placebo response (seen in RCTs) and placebo effect (seen in clinical interventions) where it is not intended to be inert. Depression is the disorder that has the highest placebo response of any medical condition and has the greatest potential for understanding how placebos work: recent developments in understanding of the pathophysiology of depression suggest that fronto-limbic areas are sensitized in depression which is associated with a particularly strong placebo phenomenon. An innovative linkage is made between diverse areas of the psychology and the translational psychiatry literature to provide supportive evidence for the Neuroplasticity Placebo Theory. This is underpinned by neuro-radiological evidence of fronto-limbic change in the placebo arm of antidepressant trials. If placebo stimulates neuroplasticity in fronto-limbic areas in conditions other than depression - and results in a partially active treatment in other areas of medicine - there are far reaching consequences for the day-to-day use of placebo in clinical practice, the future design of RCTs in all clinical conditions, and existing unwarranted assertions about the efficacy of antidepressant medications. If fronto-limbic neuroplasticity is the common denominator in designating placebo as a partially active treatment, the terms placebo effect and placebo response should be replaced by the single term "placebo treatment."
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Seymour
- Retired Consultant Psychiatrist, Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Trust, Rotherham, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel Mathers
- Emeritus Professor, Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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Fava M. How should we design future mechanistic and/or efficacy clinical trials? Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:197-204. [PMID: 37237086 PMCID: PMC10700333 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01600-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of new molecular targets, together with the development of new approaches to neuropsychiatric diseases, involving psychedelics as well as gene and cell therapies, are creating the need to improve the efficiency of mechanistic and/or efficacy clinical trials. This review article will discuss a number of issues that have hampered our ability to detect therapeutic signals, from excessive placebo/sham response rates to the imprecision of diagnostic and outcome assessments. In addition to reviewing the limitations of current efficacy and mechanistic neuropsychiatric clinical trials, this review presents some of the methodological approaches that may improve the overall performance of our neuropsychiatric trials, including the adoption of novel study designs such as the sequential parallel comparison design and independent confirmation of the appropriateness of subjects' enrollment. In addition, this review will discuss several designs that make mechanistic clinical trials more precise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Fava
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
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5
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Jelen LA, Young AH, Mehta MA. Opioid Mechanisms and the Treatment of Depression. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2024; 66:67-99. [PMID: 37923934 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
Opioid receptors are widely expressed in the brain, and the opioid system has a key role in modulating mood, reward processing and stress responsivity. There is mounting evidence that the endogenous opioid system may be dysregulated in depression and that drug treatments targeting mu, delta and kappa opioid receptors may show antidepressant potential. The mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of opioid system engagement are complex and likely multi-factorial. This chapter explores various pathways through which the modulation of the opioid system may influence depression. These include impacts on monoaminergic systems, the regulation of stress and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the immune system and inflammation, brain-derived neurotrophic factors, neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, social pain and social reward, as well as expectancy and placebo effects. A greater understanding of the diverse mechanisms through which opioid system modulation may improve depressive symptoms could ultimately aid in the development of safe and effective alternative treatments for individuals with difficult-to-treat depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke A Jelen
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
| | - Allan H Young
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Mitul A Mehta
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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Giannopoulos G, Antoniadis A, Vassilikos VP. Atrial Fibrillation Catheter Ablation and Psychological Distress. JAMA 2023; 330:2397. [PMID: 38147097 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2023.23120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Giannopoulos
- Third Department of Cardiology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Antonios Antoniadis
- Third Department of Cardiology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Vassilios P Vassilikos
- Third Department of Cardiology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
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Berkovitch L, Lee K, Ji JL, Helmer M, Rahmati M, Demšar J, Kraljič A, Matkovič A, Tamayo Z, Murray JD, Repovš G, Krystal JH, Martin WJ, Fonteneau C, Anticevic A. A common symptom geometry of mood improvement under sertraline and placebo associated with distinct neural patterns. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.12.15.23300019. [PMID: 38168378 PMCID: PMC10760263 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.15.23300019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Importance Understanding the mechanisms of major depressive disorder (MDD) improvement is a key challenge to determine effective personalized treatments. Objective To perform a secondary analysis quantifying neural-to-symptom relationships in MDD as a function of antidepressant treatment. Design Double blind randomized controlled trial. Setting Multicenter. Participants Patients with early onset recurrent depression from the public Establishing Moderators and Biosignatures of Antidepressant Response in Clinical Care (EMBARC) study. Interventions Either sertraline or placebo during 8 weeks (stage 1), and according to response a second line of treatment for 8 additional weeks (stage 2). Main Outcomes and Measures To identify a data-driven pattern of symptom variations during these two stages, we performed a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on the variations of individual items of four clinical scales measuring depression, anxiety, suicidal ideas and manic-like symptoms, resulting in a univariate measure of clinical improvement. We then investigated how initial clinical and neural factors predicted this measure during stage 1. To do so, we extracted resting-state global brain connectivity (GBC) at baseline at the individual level using a whole-brain functional network parcellation. In turn, we computed a linear model for each brain parcel with individual data-driven clinical improvement scores during stage 1 for each group. Results 192 patients (127 women), age 37.7 years old (standard deviation: 13.5), were included. The first PC (PC1) capturing 20% of clinical variation was similar across treatment groups at stage 1 and stage 2, suggesting a reproducible pattern of symptom improvement. PC1 patients' scores significantly differed according to treatment during stage 1, whereas no difference of response was evidenced between groups with the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI). Baseline GBC correlated to stage 1 PC1 scores in the sertraline, but not in the placebo group. Conclusions and Relevance Using data-driven reduction of symptoms scales, we identified a common profile of symptom improvement across placebo and sertraline. However, the neural patterns of baseline that mapped onto symptom improvement distinguished between treatment and placebo. Our results underscore that mapping from data-driven symptom improvement onto neural circuits is vital to detect treatment-responsive neural profiles that may aid in optimal patient selection for future trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Berkovitch
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Division of Neurocognition, Neurocomputation, Neurogenetics (N3), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Department of Psychiatry, GHU Paris Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Service Hospitalo-Universitaire, Paris, France
- Unicog, Saclay CEA Centre, Neurospin, Gif-Sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Kangjoo Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Division of Neurocognition, Neurocomputation, Neurogenetics (N3), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jie Lisa Ji
- Manifest Technologies, Inc. New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | | | - Jure Demšar
- Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Aleksij Kraljič
- Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Andraž Matkovič
- Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Zailyn Tamayo
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Division of Neurocognition, Neurocomputation, Neurogenetics (N3), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - John D Murray
- Department of Psychological and Brain Science, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Grega Repovš
- Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Division of Neurocognition, Neurocomputation, Neurogenetics (N3), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | - Clara Fonteneau
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Division of Neurocognition, Neurocomputation, Neurogenetics (N3), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Alan Anticevic
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Division of Neurocognition, Neurocomputation, Neurogenetics (N3), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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Zhao K, Xie H, Fonzo GA, Tong X, Carlisle N, Chidharom M, Etkin A, Zhang Y. Individualized fMRI connectivity defines signatures of antidepressant and placebo responses in major depression. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2490-2499. [PMID: 36732585 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-01958-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Though sertraline is commonly prescribed in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), its superiority over placebo is only marginal. This is in part due to the neurobiological heterogeneity of the individuals. Characterizing individual-unique functional architecture of the brain may help better dissect the heterogeneity, thereby defining treatment-predictive signatures to guide personalized medication. In this study, we investigate whether individualized brain functional connectivity (FC) can define more predictable signatures of antidepressant and placebo treatment in MDD. The data used in the present work were collected by the Establishing Moderators and Biosignatures of Antidepressant Response in Clinical Care (EMBARC) study. Patients (N = 296) were randomly assigned to antidepressant sertraline or placebo double-blind treatment for 8 weeks. The whole-brain FC networks were constructed from pre-treatment resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Then, FC was individualized by removing the common components extracted from the raw baseline FC to train regression-based connectivity predictive models. With individualized FC features, the established prediction models successfully identified signatures that explained 22% variance for the sertraline group and 31% variance for the placebo group in predicting HAMD17 change. Compared with the raw FC-based models, the individualized FC-defined signatures significantly improved the prediction performance, as confirmed by cross-validation. For sertraline treatment, predictive FC metrics were predominantly located in the left middle temporal cortex and right insula. For placebo, predictive FC metrics were primarily located in the bilateral cingulate cortex and left superior temporal cortex. Our findings demonstrated that through the removal of common FC components, individualization of FC metrics enhanced the prediction performance compared to raw FC. Associated with previous MDD clinical studies, our identified predictive biomarkers provided new insights into the neuropathology of antidepressant and placebo treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanhao Zhao
- Department of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
| | - Hua Xie
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Gregory A Fonzo
- Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Tong
- Department of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
| | - Nancy Carlisle
- Department of Psychology, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
| | | | - Amit Etkin
- Alto Neuroscience, Inc, Los Altos, CA, USA
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA.
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA.
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Cristancho P, Arora J, Nishino T, Berger J, Carter A, Blumberger D, Miller P, Snyder A, Barch D, Lenze EJ. A pilot randomized sham controlled trial of bilateral iTBS for depression and executive function in older adults. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2023; 38:e5851. [PMID: 36494919 DOI: 10.1002/gps.5851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Executive function deficits (EFD) in late life depression (LLD) are associated with poor outcomes. Dysfunction of the cognitive control network (CCN) has been posited in the pathophysiology of LLD with EFD. METHODS Seventeen older adults with depression and EFD were randomized to iTBS or sham for 6 weeks. Intervention was delivered bilaterally using a recognized connectivity target. RESULTS A total of 89% (17/19) participants completed all study procedures. No serious adverse events occurred. Pre to post-intervention change in mean Montgomery-Asberg-depression scores was not different between iTBS or sham, p = 0.33. No significant group-by-time interaction for Montgomery-Asberg Depression rating scale scores (F 3, 44 = 0.51; p = 0.67) was found. No significant differences were seen in the effects of time between the two groups on executive measures: Flanker scores (F 1, 14 = 0.02, p = 0.88), Dimensional-change-card-sort scores F 1, 14 = 0.25, p = 0.63, and working memory scores (F 1, 14 = 0.98, p = 0.34). The Group-by-time interaction effect for functional connectivity (FC) within the Fronto-parietal-network was not significant (F 1, 14 = 0.36, p = 0.56). No significant difference in the effect-of-time between the two groups was found on FC within the Cingulo-opercular-network (F 1, 14 = 0, p = 0.98). CONCLUSION Bilateral iTBS is feasible in LLD. Preliminary results are unsupportive of efficacy on depression, executive function or target engagement of the CCN. A future Randomized clinical trial requires a larger sample size with stratification of cognitive and executive variables and refinement in the target engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilar Cristancho
- Department of Psychiatry, Healthy Mind Lab, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jyoti Arora
- Division of Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Tomoyuki Nishino
- Neuroimaging Laboratories, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jacinda Berger
- Department of Psychiatry, Healthy Mind Lab, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Alexandre Carter
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Daniel Blumberger
- Department of Psychiatry, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Philip Miller
- Division of Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Abraham Snyder
- Neuroimaging Laboratories, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Deanna Barch
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Eric J Lenze
- Department of Psychiatry, Healthy Mind Lab, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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10
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Targeting neural correlates of placebo effects. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 23:217-236. [PMID: 36517733 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-01039-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Harnessing the placebo effects would prompt critical ramifications for research and clinical practice. Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and multifocal transcranial electric stimulation, could manipulate the placebo response by modulating the activity and excitability of its neural correlates. To identify potential stimulation targets, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate placebo-associated regions in healthy volunteers, including studies with emotional components and painful stimuli. Using biophysical modeling, we identified NIBS solutions to manipulate placebo effects by targeting either a single key region or multiple connected areas. Moving to a network-oriented approach, we then ran a quantitative network mapping analysis on the functional connectivity profile of clusters emerging from the meta-analysis. As a result, we suggest a multielectrode optimized montage engaging the connectivity patterns of placebo-associated functional brain networks. These NIBS solutions hope to provide a starting point to actively control, modulate or enhance placebo effects in future clinical studies and cognitive enhancement studies.
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11
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Watanabe Y, Nishimura A, Kikuchi T, Sawada N, Imazaki M, Inada I, Watanabe K. Central monitoring of depression and anxiety symptoms reduces placebo responses in depression clinical trials: A post hoc exploratory analysis of data from the phase III CCT-004 trial of vortioxetine. Neuropsychopharmacol Rep 2022; 42:468-477. [PMID: 36151855 PMCID: PMC9773757 DOI: 10.1002/npr2.12288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM Clinical trials of antidepressants often fail to demonstrate their efficacy versus placebo, suggesting that patient selection based on physician ratings of depression may contribute to a high placebo response. METHODS In the CCT-004 trial of vortioxetine, central monitoring was employed to compare physician and patient ratings of depression and anxiety at baseline and over time to identify factors contributing to a large placebo response, as well as to explore the potential of a unique patient-rated clinical measure combining QIDS-J and Himorogi Self-rating Anxiety Scale (HSAS), to contribute to optimal patient selection at baseline and patient monitoring over time. RESULTS The CCT-004 trial showed similar trends between the QIDS-J and MADRS (Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale) ratings. It was suggested that central monitoring of the QIDS-J and MADRS ratings of depression and anxiety symptoms helped reduce the baseline score inflation by calling the study sites' attention to discrepancies between these ratings at baseline; it also allowed these ratings to be assessed for their concordance over time. Of note, MDD patients with baseline QIDS-J scores ≥11/HSAS ≤19 were associated with the smallest placebo response, with the effect size being larger than that for those with QIDS-J scores ≤10/HSAS ≥20. CONCLUSION The use of both physician and patient ratings of depression and anxiety symptoms at baseline and over time, as well as their central monitoring, helped minimize the baseline score inflation and optimize patient monitoring over time, and allowed the antidepressant to be evaluated for its full therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Akira Nishimura
- Pharmaceutical Development DivisionTowa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.OsakaJapan
| | - Toshiaki Kikuchi
- Department of NeuropsychiatryKeio University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | | | - Manami Imazaki
- Neuroscience Therapeutic Area Strategy Unit, Takeda Development Center JapanTakeda Pharmaceutical Company LimitedOsakaJapan
| | - Isao Inada
- Neuroscience Therapeutic Area Strategy Unit, Takeda Development Center JapanTakeda Pharmaceutical Company LimitedOsakaJapan
| | - Koichiro Watanabe
- Department of NeuropsychiatryKyorin University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
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12
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Love T, Shabalin AA, Kember RL, Docherty AR, Zhou H, Koppelmans V, Gelernter J, Baker AK, Hartwell E, Dubroff J, Zubieta JK, Kranzler HR. Unique and joint associations of polygenic risk for major depression and opioid use disorder with endogenous opioid system function. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1784-1790. [PMID: 35545664 PMCID: PMC9372136 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01325-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) are common, potentially fatal, polygenic disorders that are moderately heritable and often co-occur. We examined the unique and shared associations of polygenic risk scores (PRS) for these disorders with µ-opioid receptor (MOR) concentration and endogenous opioid response during a stressful stimulus. Participants were 144 healthy European-ancestry (EA) subjects (88 females) who underwent MOR quantification scans with [11C]carfentanil and PET and provided DNA for genotyping. MOR non-displaceable binding potential (BPND) was measured in 5 regions of interest (ROIs) related to mood and addiction. We examined associations of PRS both at baseline and following opioid release calculated as the ratio of baseline and stress-challenge scans, first in the entire sample and then separately by sex. MOR availability at baseline was positively associated with MDD PRS in the amygdala and ventral pallidum. MDD and OUD PRS were significantly associated with stress-induced opioid system activation in multiple ROIs, accounting for up to 14.5% and 5.4%, respectively, of the variance in regional activation. The associations were most robust among females, where combined they accounted for up to 25.0% of the variance among the ROIs. We conclude that there is a pathophysiologic link between polygenic risk for MDD and OUD and opioid system activity, as evidenced by PRS with unique and overlapping regional associations with this neurotransmitter system. This link could help to explain the high rate of comorbidity of MDD and OUD and suggests that opioid-modulating interventions could be useful in treating MDD and OUD, both individually and jointly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Love
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah & Huntsman Mental Health Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Andrey A Shabalin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah & Huntsman Mental Health Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Rachel L Kember
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Anna R Docherty
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah & Huntsman Mental Health Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric & Behavioral Genetics and Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23291, USA
| | - Hang Zhou
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
- West Haven Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Vincent Koppelmans
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah & Huntsman Mental Health Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
- West Haven Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Anne K Baker
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah & Huntsman Mental Health Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
| | - Emily Hartwell
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jacob Dubroff
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jon-Kar Zubieta
- Department of Psychiatry, Northwell Health, John T. Mather Memorial Hospital, Port Jefferson, NY, 11777, USA.
| | - Henry R Kranzler
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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13
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Ohnishi T, Wakamatsu A, Kobayashi H. Different symptomatic improvement pattern revealed by factor analysis between placebo response and response to Esketamine in treatment resistant depression. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2022; 76:377-383. [PMID: 35596932 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.13379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AIMS The aim of this study is to determine whether there is difference in the change in each symptom of depression and in symptomatic improvement pattern between placebo and antidepressant responses. METHODS Using data from a randomized, double-blind (DB), placebo-controlled trial of esketamine (ESK) in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), we conducted exploratory analyses. To determine differences in the change in each depressive symptom on the MADRS subscale between placebo and antidepressant responses, a two-way factorial analysis was conducted using the amount of change on Day 2 and 28 of treatment. In addition, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on the MADRS subtotal variables on Day 2 and 28 of treatment to determine symptomatic improvement pattern between placebo response and antidepressant responses. RESULTS We found that as well as MADRS total score, each subscale of MADRS score did not significantly differ between esketamine and placebo at Day 2 and 28. On the other hand, factor analysis revealed that the factor structure of the response was different between esketamine and placebo at the 2nd day. There was no difference in the factor structure between esketamine and placebo in response on Day 28 of treatment. CONCLUSION Factor analysis revealed different patterns of symptom improvement in the early phase of the intervention between esketamine and placebo. This finding suggests that a data driven approach may provide detailed efficacy information in clinical trials for antidepressants. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02918318. Registered: 28 September 2016.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Ohnishi
- Medical Affairs Division, Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Hisanori Kobayashi
- Research and Development, Clinical Science Division, Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., Tokyo, Japan
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14
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The Opioid System in Depression. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 140:104800. [PMID: 35914624 PMCID: PMC10166717 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Opioid receptors are widely distributed throughout the brain and play an essential role in modulating aspects of human mood, reward, and well-being. Accumulating evidence indicates the endogenous opioid system is dysregulated in depression and that pharmacological modulators of mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptors hold potential for the treatment of depression. Here we review animal and clinical data, highlighting evidence to support: dysregulation of the opioid system in depression, evidence for opioidergic modulation of behavioural processes and brain regions associated with depression, and evidence for opioidergic modulation in antidepressant responses. We evaluate clinical trials that have examined the safety and efficacy of opioidergic agents in depression and consider how the opioid system may be involved in the effects of other treatments, including ketamine, that are currently understood to exert antidepressant effects through non-opioidergic actions. Finally, we explore key neurochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying the potential therapeutic effects of opioid system engagement, that together provides a rationale for further investigation into this relevant target in the treatment of depression.
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15
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Martins LB, Braga Tibães JR, Berk M, Teixeira AL. Diabetes and mood disorders: shared mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities. Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract 2022; 26:183-195. [PMID: 34348557 DOI: 10.1080/13651501.2021.1957117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objective of this manuscript is to provide a comprehensive and critical overview of the current evidence on the association between Diabetes mellitus (DM) and mood disorders [i.e., Major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD)], and therapeutic opportunities. METHODS We searched in MEDLINE (via Ovid) for placebo-controlled clinical trials published in the last 20 years that assessed drug repurposing approaches for the treatment of DM or mood disorders. RESULTS We found seven studies that aimed to verify the effects of antidepressants in patients diagnosed with DM, and eight studies that tested the effect of antidiabetic drugs in patients diagnosed with MDD or BD. Most studies published in the last two decades did not report a positive effect of antidepressants on glycemic control in patients with DM. On the other hand, antidiabetic drugs seem to have a positive effect on the treatment of MDD and BD. CONCLUSIONS While effect of antidepressants on glycemic control in patients with DM is still controversial, the use of antidiabetic drugs may be a promising strategy for patients with MDD or BD. Prospective studies are still needed.Key pointsMood disorders in patients with DM affect glycemic control, potentially increasing mortality risk.The effect of antidepressants on glycemic control in patients with DM is still controversial. The coexistence of complicated DM and a mood disorders would require a careful, individualised, and comprehensive evaluation.Insulin resistance may increase the risk of depressive symptoms and is associated with worse outcomes in BD.The use antidiabetic drugs may be a promising strategy for patients with MDD or BD. However, prospective trials are needed to prove a potential antidepressant activity of antidiabetic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laís Bhering Martins
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA.,Departamento de Nutrição, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Jenneffer Rayane Braga Tibães
- Departamento de Nutrição, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, Division of Human Nutrition, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Michael Berk
- Deakin University, IMPACT (the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation), Geelong, Australia.,Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Australia.,Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Antonio Lucio Teixeira
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA.,Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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16
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Itskovich E, Bowling DL, Garner JP, Parker KJ. Oxytocin and the social facilitation of placebo effects. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:2640-2649. [PMID: 35338314 PMCID: PMC9167259 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01515-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Significant clinical improvement is often observed in patients who receive placebo treatment in randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials. While a proportion of this "improvement" reflects experimental design limitations (e.g., reliance on subjective outcomes, unbalanced groups, reporting biases), some of it reflects genuine improvement corroborated by physiological change. Converging evidence across diverse medical conditions suggests that clinically-relevant benefits from placebo treatment are associated with the activation of brain reward circuits. In parallel, evidence has accumulated showing that such benefits are facilitated by clinicians that demonstrate warmth and proficiency during interactions with patients. Here, we integrate research on these neural and social aspects of placebo effects with evidence linking oxytocin and social reward to advance a neurobiological account for the social facilitation of placebo effects. This account frames oxytocin as a key mediator of treatment success across a wide-spectrum of interventions that increase social connectedness, thereby providing a biological basis for assessing this fundamental non-specific element of medical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Itskovich
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Daniel L. Bowling
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Joseph P. Garner
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305.,Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Karen J. Parker
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305.,Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
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17
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Aday JS, Heifets BD, Pratscher SD, Bradley E, Rosen R, Woolley JD. Great Expectations: recommendations for improving the methodological rigor of psychedelic clinical trials. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:1989-2010. [PMID: 35359159 PMCID: PMC10184717 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06123-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Psychedelic research continues to garner significant public and scientific interest with a growing number of clinical studies examining a wide range of conditions and disorders. However, expectancy effects and effective condition masking have been raised as critical limitations to the interpretability of the research. OBJECTIVE In this article, we review the many methodological challenges of conducting psychedelic clinical trials and provide recommendations for improving the rigor of future research. RESULTS Although some challenges are shared with psychotherapy and pharmacology trials more broadly, psychedelic clinical trials have to contend with several unique sources of potential bias. The subjective effects of a high-dose psychedelic are often so pronounced that it is difficult to mask participants to their treatment condition; the significant hype from positive media coverage on the clinical potential of psychedelics influences participants' expectations for treatment benefit; and participant unmasking and treatment expectations can interact in such a way that makes psychedelic therapy highly susceptible to large placebo and nocebo effects. Specific recommendations to increase the success of masking procedures and reduce the influence of participant expectancies are discussed in the context of study development, participant recruitment and selection, incomplete disclosure of the study design, choice of active placebo condition, as well as the measurement of participant expectations and masking efficacy. CONCLUSION Incorporating the recommended design elements is intended to reduce the risk of bias in psychedelic clinical trials and thereby increases the ability to discern treatment-specific effects of psychedelic therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob S Aday
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, San Francisco VA Medical Center, University of California, 401 Parnassus Ave., San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
| | - Boris D Heifets
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Steven D Pratscher
- Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science, Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Ellen Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, San Francisco VA Medical Center, University of California, 401 Parnassus Ave., San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Raymond Rosen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, San Francisco VA Medical Center, University of California, 401 Parnassus Ave., San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Joshua D Woolley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, San Francisco VA Medical Center, University of California, 401 Parnassus Ave., San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
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18
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Changes in neural processing and evaluation of negative facial expressions after administration of an open-label placebo. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6577. [PMID: 35449194 PMCID: PMC9023441 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10567-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A recent event-related potential (ERP) study found that an open-label placebo (OLP) reduced emotional distress during the viewing of unpleasant scenes and the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP). The present ERP experiment aimed at a conceptual replication of this finding and investigated OLP effects during affective face processing. The participants (109 females) were presented with images depicting angry and neutral facial expressions after the administration of a saline nasal spray. The spray was either introduced as a placebo that could help reduce the emotional reactions to viewing angry faces (OLP group) or to improve the electrophysiological recordings (Control group). The OLP was associated with reduced LPP amplitudes (1000-6000 ms) to anger expressions across a frontal cluster. Additionally, the OLP reduced LPP amplitudes (400-1000 ms) to both anger and neutral faces across a centroparietal cluster. Compared to the Control group, the OLP group reported less arousal when confronted with angry faces, and rated the anger expressions as less intense. This study demonstrates that an OLP can alter both subjective and neural responses to anger cues. Future research should directly compare OLP treatment with other strategies for emotion regulation (e.g., cognitive reappraisal) to demonstrate the specificity of this approach.
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19
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Psycho-Neuro-Endocrine-Immunological Basis of the Placebo Effect: Potential Applications beyond Pain Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23084196. [PMID: 35457014 PMCID: PMC9028312 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23084196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The placebo effect can be defined as the improvement of symptoms in a patient after the administration of an innocuous substance in a context that induces expectations regarding its effects. During recent years, it has been discovered that the placebo response not only has neurobiological functions on analgesia, but that it is also capable of generating effects on the immune and endocrine systems. The possible integration of changes in different systems of the organism could favor the well-being of the individuals and go hand in hand with conventional treatment for multiple diseases. In this sense, classic conditioning and setting expectations stand out as psychological mechanisms implicated in the placebo effect. Recent advances in neuroimaging studies suggest a relationship between the placebo response and the opioid, cannabinoid, and monoaminergic systems. Likewise, a possible immune response conditioned by the placebo effect has been reported. There is evidence of immune suppression conditioned through the insular cortex and the amygdala, with noradrenalin as the responsible neurotransmitter. Finally, a conditioned response in the secretion of different hormones has been determined in different studies; however, the molecular mechanisms involved are not entirely known. Beyond studies about its mechanism of action, the placebo effect has proved to be useful in the clinical setting with promising results in the management of neurological, psychiatric, and immunologic disorders. However, more research is needed to better characterize its potential use. This review integrates current knowledge about the psycho-neuro-endocrine-immune basis of the placebo effect and its possible clinical applications.
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20
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Burke MJ, Romanella SM, Mencarelli L, Greben R, Fox MD, Kaptchuk TJ, Pascual-Leone A, Santarnecchi E. Placebo effects and neuromodulation for depression: a meta-analysis and evaluation of shared mechanisms. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:1658-1666. [PMID: 34903861 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01397-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
There is growing evidence that placebo effects can meaningfully modulate the brain. However, there has been little consideration of whether these changes may overlap with regions/circuits targeted by depression treatments and what the implications of this overlap would be on measuring efficacy in placebo-controlled clinical trials. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar for functional MRI and PET neuroimaging studies of placebo effects. Studies recruiting both healthy subjects and patient populations were included. Neuroimaging coordinates were extracted and included for Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analysis. We then searched for interventional studies of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) for depression and extracted target coordinates for comparative spatial analysis with the placebo effects maps. Of 1169 articles identified, 34 neuroimaging studies of placebo effects were included. There were three significant clusters of activation: left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) (x = -41, y = 16, z = 34), left sub-genual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC)/ventral striatum (x = -8, y = 18, z = -15) and the right rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) (x = 4, y = 42, z = 10). There were two significant deactivation clusters: right basal ganglia (x = 20, y = 2, z = 7) and right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) (x = 1, y = -5, z = 45). TMS and DBS targets for depression treatment overlapped with the left DLPFC cluster and sgACC cluster, respectively. Our findings identify a common set of brain regions implicated in placebo effects across healthy individuals and patient populations, and provide evidence that these regions overlap with depression treatment targets. We model the statistical impacts of this overlap and demonstrate critical implications on measurements of clinical trial efficacy for this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Burke
- Neuropsychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry and Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. .,Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada. .,Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Sara M Romanella
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Siena Brain Investigation & Neuromodulation Lab (Si-BIN Lab), Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology Section, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Lucia Mencarelli
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Siena Brain Investigation & Neuromodulation Lab (Si-BIN Lab), Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology Section, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Rachel Greben
- Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michael D Fox
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics, Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Athinoula A. Martinos Centre for Biomedical Imaging, Departments of Neurology and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Ted J Kaptchuk
- Program in Placebo Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research and Center for Memory Health, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, MA, USA.,Guttmann Brain Health Institut, Guttmann Institut, Universitat Autonoma, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Emiliano Santarnecchi
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. .,Precision Neuroscience & Neuromodulation Program, Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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21
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Huneke NTM, Aslan IH, Fagan H, Phillips N, Tanna R, Cortese S, Garner M, Baldwin DS. Functional Neuroimaging Correlates of Placebo Response in Patients With Depressive or Anxiety Disorders: A Systematic Review. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2022; 25:433-447. [PMID: 35078210 PMCID: PMC9211006 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyac009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The mechanisms underlying placebo effects of psychotropic drugs remain poorly understood. We carried out the first, to our knowledge, systematic review of functional neuroimaging correlates of placebo response in adults with anxiety/depressive disorders. METHODS We systematically searched a large set of databases up to February 2021 based on a pre-registered protocol (PROSPERO CRD42019156911). We extracted neuroimaging data related to clinical improvement following placebo or related to placebo mechanisms. We did not perform a meta-analysis due to the small number of included studies and significant heterogeneity in study design and outcome measures. RESULTS We found 12 relevant studies for depressive disorders and 4 for anxiety disorders. Activity in the ventral striatum, rostral anterior cingulate cortex and other default mode network regions, orbitofrontal cortex, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex correlated with placebo antidepressant responses. Activity in regions of the default mode network, including posterior cingulate cortex, was associated with placebo anxiolysis. There was also evidence for possible involvement of the endogenous opioid, dopamine, and serotonin systems in placebo antidepressant and anxiolytic effects. CONCLUSIONS Several brain regions and molecular systems may be involved in these placebo effects. Further adequately powered studies exploring causality and controlling for confounders are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan T M Huneke
- Correspondence: Nathan T. M. Huneke, University Department of Psychiatry, Academic Centre, College Keep, 4-12 Terminus Terrace, Southampton, SO14 3DT, UK ()
| | - Ibrahim H Aslan
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK,University Department of Psychiatry, Academic Centre, Southampton, UK
| | - Harry Fagan
- Southern Health National Health Service Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK,University Department of Psychiatry, Academic Centre, Southampton, UK
| | | | - Rhea Tanna
- Southern Health National Health Service Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
| | - Samuele Cortese
- Solent National Health Service Trust, Southampton, UK,Center for Innovation in Mental Health, School of Psychology, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK,Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone, New York University Child Study Center, New York City, New York, USA,Division of Psychiatry and Applied Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Matthew Garner
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK,School of Psychology, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - David S Baldwin
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK,Southern Health National Health Service Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK,University Department of Psychiatry, Academic Centre, Southampton, UK,University Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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22
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Peciña M, Chen J, Lyew T, Karp JF, Dombrovski AY. μ Opioid Antagonist Naltrexone Partially Abolishes the Antidepressant Placebo Effect and Reduces Orbitofrontal Cortex Encoding of Reinforcement. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2021; 6:1002-1012. [PMID: 33684624 PMCID: PMC8419202 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Like placebo analgesia, the antidepressant placebo effect appears to involve cortical and subcortical endogenous opioid signaling, yet the mechanism through which opioid release affects mood remains unclear. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)-which integrates various attributes of a stimulus to predict associated outcomes-has been implicated in placebo effects and is rich in μ opioid receptors. We hypothesized that naltrexone blockade of μ opioid receptors would blunt OFC-dependent antidepressant placebo effects. METHODS Twenty psychotropic-free patients with major depressive disorder completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of 1 oral dose of 50 mg of naltrexone or matching placebo immediately before completing 2 sessions of the antidepressant placebo functional magnetic resonance imaging task. This task manipulates placebo-associated expectancies and their reinforcement while assessing expected and actual mood improvement. RESULTS Behaviorally, manipulations of antidepressant placebo expectancies and their reinforcement had positive, interactive effects on participants' expectancy and mood ratings. The high-expectancy condition recruited the dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, as well as dorsal attention stream regions. Interestingly, increased dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex brain responses appeared to attenuate the antidepressant placebo effect. The administration of 1 oral dose of naltrexone, compared with placebo, partially abolished the interaction of the expectancy and reinforcement manipulation on mood and blocked reinforcement-induced responses in the right central OFC. CONCLUSIONS Our results show preliminary evidence for the role of μ opioid central OFC modulation in antidepressant placebo effects by positively biasing the value of placebo based on reinforcement and enhancing subsequent hedonic experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Peciña
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
| | - Jiazhou Chen
- National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; The Faculty of Brain Sciences, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thandi Lyew
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jordan F Karp
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
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Slowed Processing Speed Disrupts Patient Expectancy in Late Life Depression. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2021; 29:619-630. [PMID: 33250338 PMCID: PMC8099936 DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2020.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Slowed processing speed and executive dysfunction are associated with poor outcomes in Late Life Depression (LLD), though it is unclear why. We investigated whether these variables interfere with the development of positive treatment expectancies in an antidepressant trial. METHODS Depressed older subjects were randomized to Open (intended to increase patient expectancy) or Placebo-controlled (termed 'Hidden,' intended to decrease expectancy) administration of antidepressant medication for 8 weeks. Analysis of covariance analyzed the between-group difference on expectancy (Credibility and Expectancy Scale [CES]) and depression (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression [HRSD], Clinical Global Impressions [CGI] Severity). Moderator analyses examined whether these Open versus Hidden differences varied based on higher versus lower processing speed and executive function. RESULTS Among the 108 participants, a significant between-group difference was observed on expectancy (effect size [ES, Cohen's d] = 0.51 on CES Item 2; ES = 0.64 on Item 4), indicating the manipulation was effective. Processing speed as measured by the Stroop Color-Word Test (number color-words named in congruent condition) was a significant moderator of the Open versus Hidden effect on expectancy. Depressive symptom improvement was greater on average for Open versus Hidden participants who received active drug (CGI-severity ES = 1.25, HRSD ES = 0.41), but no neurocognitive moderators of the between-group difference reached statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS Slowed processing speed impairs the development of expectancies in antidepressant trials for LLD, which may help explain lower antidepressant response among older adults. Future studies may address whether interventions to optimize treatment expectancies are capable of improving treatment outcomes.
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Abstract
After participating in this activity, learners should be better able to:• Identify the effects of dysregulated opioid signalling in depression• Evaluate the use of opioid compounds and ketamine in patients with depression ABSTRACT: Major depressive disorder (MDD) remains one of the leading causes of disability and functional impairment worldwide. Current antidepressant therapeutics require weeks to months of treatment prior to the onset of clinical efficacy on depressed mood but remain ineffective in treating suicidal ideation and cognitive impairment. Moreover, 30%-40% of individuals fail to respond to currently available antidepressant medications. MDD is a heterogeneous disorder with an unknown etiology; novel strategies must be developed to treat MDD more effectively. Emerging evidence suggests that targeting one or more of the four opioid receptors-mu (MOR), kappa (KOR), delta (DOR), and the nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor (NOP)-may yield effective therapeutics for stress-related psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, the effects of the rapidly acting antidepressant ketamine may involve opioid receptors. This review highlights dysregulated opioid signaling in depression, evaluates clinical trials with opioid compounds, and considers the role of opioid mechanisms in rapidly acting antidepressants.
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25
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Subjective cognition and mood in persistent chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment. J Cancer Surviv 2021; 16:614-623. [PMID: 33973154 DOI: 10.1007/s11764-021-01055-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Persistent chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is commonly reported following cancer treatment and negatively affects quality of life. While past research has focused on potential pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this relationship, the role of psychological factors, such as mood, stress, and anxiety, in the development of persistent CRCI has received less attention. As an additional analysis of data from a trial investigating the effects of transdermal nicotine patches on cognitive performance in patients with persistent CRCI, we examined whether change in mood was associated with changes in subjective and objective cognitive functioning. METHODS Participants were randomized to either placebo (n = 11) or transdermal nicotine (n = 11) for 6 weeks, followed by 2 weeks of treatment withdrawal for a total of 8 weeks. Participants were assessed using behavioral, subjective, and objective measures of cognitive functioning and mood at five visits before, during, and after treatment. RESULTS Although we did not detect an effect of treatment assignment on mood, over the course of the study, we observed a significant improvement on measures of mood that correlated with improvement in subjective and objective cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS We observed improvement in objective and subjective cognitive performance measures. These changes were associated with improvement in subsyndromal mood symptoms, likely resulting from participation in the trial itself. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS These results suggest that women with persistent CRCI may benefit from support and validation of their cognitive complaints, cognitive rehabilitation/therapies into their post-cancer care. TRIAL REGISTRATION The study was registered with clinicaltrials.gov (trial registration: NCT02312943).
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Ashok AH, Myers J, Frost G, Turton S, Gunn RN, Passchier J, Colasanti A, Marques TR, Nutt D, Lingford-Hughes A, Howes OD, Rabiner EA. Acute acetate administration increases endogenous opioid levels in the human brain: A [ 11C]carfentanil molecular imaging study. J Psychopharmacol 2021; 35:606-610. [PMID: 33406950 PMCID: PMC8155733 DOI: 10.1177/0269881120965912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION A recent study has shown that acetate administration leads to a fourfold increase in the transcription of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA in the hypothalamus. POMC is cleaved to peptides, including β-endorphin, an endogenous opioid (EO) agonist that binds preferentially to the µ-opioid receptor (MOR). We hypothesised that an acetate challenge would increase the levels of EO in the human brain. We have previously demonstrated that increased EO release in the human brain can be detected using positron emission tomography (PET) with the selective MOR radioligand [11C]carfentanil. We used this approach to evaluate the effects of an acute acetate challenge on EO levels in the brain of healthy human volunteers. METHODS Seven volunteers each completed a baseline [11C]carfentanil PET scan followed by an administration of sodium acetate before a second [11C]carfentanil PET scan. Dynamic PET data were acquired over 90 minutes, and corrected for attenuation, scatter and subject motion. Regional [11C] carfentanil BPND values were then calculated using the simplified reference tissue model (with the occipital grey matter as the reference region). Change in regional EO concentration was evaluated as the change in [11C]carfentanil BPND following acetate administration. RESULTS Following sodium acetate administration, 2.5-6.5% reductions in [11C]carfentanil regional BPND were seen, with statistical significance reached in the cerebellum, temporal lobe, orbitofrontal cortex, striatum and thalamus. CONCLUSIONS We have demonstrated that an acute acetate challenge has the potential to increase EO release in the human brain, providing a plausible mechanism of the central effects of acetate on appetite in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishekh H Ashok
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, London, UK.,Psychiatric Imaging Group, Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.,Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Radiology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Samuel Turton
- Imperial College London, UK.,Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Roger N Gunn
- Imperial College London, UK.,Invicro, London, UK
| | | | - Alessandro Colasanti
- Department of Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Tiago Reis Marques
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, London, UK.,Psychiatric Imaging Group, Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.,Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Oliver D Howes
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, London, UK.,Psychiatric Imaging Group, Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.,Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Eugenii A Rabiner
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences, King's College London, London, UK.,Invicro, London, UK
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Schienle A, Jurinec N. Combined Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Placebo Treatment for Patients with Depression: A Follow-Up Assessment. Psychol Res Behav Manag 2021; 14:233-238. [PMID: 33654440 PMCID: PMC7912085 DOI: 10.2147/prbm.s294940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction A previous study revealed that patients with depression who received a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and placebo treatment (CBT+placebo) showed greater symptom reduction than a CBT group without a placebo. Moreover, the CBT+placebo group practiced relaxation training more frequently. We conducted a 3-month follow-up assessment to investigate the temporal stability of the placebo effects. Methods Eighty-two outpatients with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder who had participated in a 4-week CBT course (CBT: n = 40; CBT with daily placebo treatment: n = 42) returned to a 3-month follow-up assessment. The participants of the CBT+placebo group had been debriefed directly after the course. Results Compared to the CBT group, the CBT+placebo group had lower scores on the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) at follow-up and more participants were below the clinical cut-off score of the BDI-II. Additionally, the CBT+placebo group continued to practice relaxation more frequently. Discussion This study demonstrates that placebo effects are not short-lived and continue to be present after the debriefing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Schienle
- Instiute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Nina Jurinec
- Instiute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.,Community Health Center Gornja Radgona, Gornja Radgona, Slovenia
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Peciña M, Dombrovski AY, Price R, Karim HT. Understanding the Neurocomputational Mechanisms of Antidepressant Placebo Effects. JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY AND BRAIN SCIENCE 2021; 6:e210001. [PMID: 33732892 PMCID: PMC7963355 DOI: 10.20900/jpbs.20210001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Over the last two decades, neuroscientists have used antidepressant placebo probes to examine the biological mechanisms implicated in antidepressant placebo effects. However, findings from these studies have not yet elucidated a model-based theory that would explain the mechanism through which antidepressant expectancies evolve to induce persistent mood changes. Emerging evidence suggests that antidepressant placebo effects may be informed by models of reinforcement learning (RL). Such that an individual's expectation of improvement is updated with the arrival of new sensory evidence, by incorporating a reward prediction error (RPE), which signals the mismatch between the expected (expected value) and perceived improvement. Consistent with this framework, neuroimaging studies of antidepressant placebo effects have demonstrated placebo-induced μ-opioid activation and increased blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) responses in regions tracking expected values (e.g., ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)) and RPEs (e.g., ventral striatum (VS)). In this study, we will demonstrate the causal contribution of reward learning signals (expected values and RPEs) to antidepressant placebo effects by experimentally manipulating expected values using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) targeting the vmPFC and μ-opioid striatal RPE signal using pharmacological approaches. We hypothesized that antidepressant placebo expectancies are represented in the vmPFC (expected value) and updated by means of μ-opioid-modulated striatal learning signal. In a 3 × 3 factorial double-blind design, we will randomize 120 antidepressant-free individuals with depressive symptoms to one of three between-subject opioid conditions: the μ-opioid agonist buprenorphine, the μ-opioid antagonist naltrexone, or an inert pill. Within each arm, individuals will be assigned to receive three within-subject counterbalanced forms of TMS targeting the vmPFC-intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (TBS) expected to potentiate the vmPFC, continuous TBS expected to de-potentiate the vmPFC, or sham TBS. These experimental manipulations will be used to modulate trial-by-trial reward learning signals and related brain activity during the Antidepressant Placebo functional MRI (fMRI) Task to address the following aims: (1) investigate the relationship between reward learning signals within the vmPFC-VS circuit and antidepressant placebo effects; (2) examine the causal contribution of vmPFC expected value computations to antidepressant placebo effects; and (3) investigate the causal contribution of μ-opioid-modulated striatal RPEs to antidepressant placebo effects. The proposed study will be the first to investigate the causal contribution of μ-opioid-modulated vmPFC-VS learning signals to antidepressant placebo responses, paving the way for developing novel treatments modulating learning processes and objective means of quantifying and potentially reducing placebo effects during drug development. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04276259.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Peciña
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | | | - Rebecca Price
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Helmet T. Karim
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
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Utilizing placebos to leverage effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy in patients with depression. J Affect Disord 2020; 277:779-784. [PMID: 33065817 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.08.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with depression often experience difficulties with completing homework assignments during cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). In the present study, we investigated the effects of a specific placebo which aimed at improving the practice of a daily relaxation exercise during a four-week outpatient program. METHODS A total of 126 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder were randomly assigned to one of three groups: 'Coping with Depression' course, 'Coping with Depression' course with additional daily placebo treatment, and waiting-list group. The placebo (sunflower oil) was introduced as a natural medicine to help the patients focus on their inner strengths and to mobilize their bodies' natural healing powers. The placebo was taken orally before the daily relaxation exercise. RESULTS The placebo improved homework quantity and quality (both p < .001). The placebo group practiced more often and experienced greater relaxation effects than the no-placebo group. Additionally, the placebo group showed a greater reduction of depression symptoms (p < .001). LIMITATIONS The primary limitation of the study is the lack of a psychophysiological measure of relaxation. CONCLUSIONS Placebos can be used to leverage CBT effects in patients with depression.
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Lu L, Li H, Mills JA, Schroeder H, Mossman SA, Varney ST, Cecil KM, Huang X, Gong Q, Levine A, DelBello MP, Sweeny JA, Strawn JR. Greater Dynamic and Lower Static Functional Brain Connectivity Prospectively Predict Placebo Response in Pediatric Generalized Anxiety Disorder. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2020; 30:606-616. [PMID: 32721213 PMCID: PMC7864114 DOI: 10.1089/cap.2020.0024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Objectives: Placebo response is one of the most significant barriers to detecting treatment effects in pediatric (and adult) clinical trials focusing on affective and anxiety disorders. We sought to identify neurofunctional predictors of placebo response in adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) by examining dynamic and static functional brain connectivity. Methods: Before randomization to blinded placebo, adolescents, aged 12-17 years, with GAD (N = 25) underwent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Whole brain voxelwise correlation analyses were used to determine the relationship between change in anxiety symptoms from baseline to week 8 and seed-based dynamic and static functional connectivity maps of regions in the salience and ventral attention networks (amygdala, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex [dACC], and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex [VLPFC]). Results: Greater dynamic functional connectivity variability in amygdala, dACC, VLPFC, and regions within salience, default mode, and frontoparietal networks was associated with greater placebo response. Lower static functional connectivity between amygdala and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex, dACC and posterior cingulate cortex and greater static functional connectivity between VLPFC and inferior parietal lobule were associated with greater placebo response. Conclusion: Placebo response is associated with a distinct dynamic and static connectivity fingerprint characterized by "variable" dynamic but "weak" static connectivity in the salience, default mode, frontoparietal, and ventral attention networks. These data provide granular evidence of how circuit-based biotypes mechanistically relate to placebo response. Finding biosignatures that predict placebo response is critically important in clinical psychopharmacology and to improve our ability to detect medication-placebo differences in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Lu
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Hailong Li
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jeffrey A. Mills
- Department of Economics, Lindner College of Business, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Heidi Schroeder
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Sarah A. Mossman
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Sara T. Varney
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Kim M. Cecil
- Department of Radiology, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA,Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Xiaoqi Huang
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Psychoradiology Research Unit of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Psychoradiology Research Unit of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Address correspondence to: Qiyong Gong, MD, PhD, Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Amir Levine
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Melissa P. DelBello
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - John A. Sweeny
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Jeffrey R. Strawn
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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Chen J, Mizuno A, Lyew T, Karim HT, Karp JF, Dombrovski AY, Peciña M. Naltrexone modulates contextual processing in depression. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:2070-2078. [PMID: 32843703 PMCID: PMC7547720 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00809-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Context, the information surrounding an experience, can significantly alter the meaning and the affective responses to events. Yet the biological mechanisms through which context modulate experiences are not entirely understood. Here, we hypothesized that the µ-opioid system-extensively implicated in placebo effects, a clinical phenomenon thought to rely on contextual processing-modulates the effects of contextual information on emotional attributions in patients with depression. To test this hypothesis, 20 unmedicated patients with depression completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of one dose of 50 mg of naltrexone, or placebo immediately before completing two sessions of the Contextual Framing fMRI task. This task captures effects of valenced contextual cues (pleasant vs. unpleasant) on emotional attribution (the rating of subtle emotional faces: fearful, neutral, or happy). Behaviorally, we found that emotional attribution was significantly moderated by the interaction between contextual cues and subtle emotional faces, such that participants' ratings of valenced faces (fearful and happy), compared to neutral, were more negative during unpleasant, compared to pleasant context cues. At a neural level, context-induced blood-oxygen-level-dependent responses in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, the dorsal anterior cingulate, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, significantly moderated the effects of context on emotional attribution, and were blunted by naltrexone. Furthermore, the effects of naltrexone on emotional attribution were partially abolished in more severely depressed patients. Our results provide insights into the molecular alterations underlying context representation in patients with depression, providing pivotal early data for future treatment studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Chen
- grid.21925.3d0000 0004 1936 9000Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - A. Mizuno
- grid.21925.3d0000 0004 1936 9000Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - T. Lyew
- grid.21925.3d0000 0004 1936 9000Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - H. T. Karim
- grid.21925.3d0000 0004 1936 9000Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - J. F. Karp
- grid.21925.3d0000 0004 1936 9000Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - A. Y. Dombrovski
- grid.21925.3d0000 0004 1936 9000Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - M. Peciña
- grid.21925.3d0000 0004 1936 9000Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
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Kohrt BA, Ottman K, Panter-Brick C, Konner M, Patel V. Why we heal: The evolution of psychological healing and implications for global mental health. Clin Psychol Rev 2020; 82:101920. [PMID: 33126037 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Why do humans heal one another? Evolutionary psychology has advanced our understanding of why humans suffer psychological distress and mental illness. However, to date, the evolutionary origins of what drives humans to alleviate the suffering of others has received limited attention. Therefore, we draw upon evolutionary theory to assess why humans psychologically support one another, focusing on the interpersonal regulation of emotions that shapes how humans heal and console one another when in psychosocial distress. To understand why we engage in psychological healing, we review the evolution of cooperation among social species and the roles of emotional contagion, empathy, and self-regulation. We discuss key aspects of human biocultural evolution that have contributed to healing behaviors: symbolic logic including language, complex social networks, and the long period of childhood that necessitates identifying and responding to others in distress. However, both biological and cultural evolution also have led to social context when empathy and consoling are impeded. Ultimately, by understanding the evolutionary processes shaping why humans psychologically do or do not heal one another, we can improve our current approaches in global mental health and uncover new opportunities to improve the treatment of mental illness across cultures and context around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon A Kohrt
- Division of Global Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Katherine Ottman
- Division of Global Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Catherine Panter-Brick
- Jackson Institute of Global Affairs, Yale University, New Haven, and Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, USA
| | - Melvin Konner
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, USA
| | - Vikram Patel
- Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, USA
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Huneke NT, van der Wee N, Garner M, Baldwin DS. Why we need more research into the placebo response in psychiatry. Psychol Med 2020; 50:2317-2323. [PMID: 33028433 PMCID: PMC7610180 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720003633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Placebos are not inert, but exert measurable biological effects. The placebo response in psychiatric illness is important and clinically relevant, but remains poorly understood. In this paper, we review current knowledge about the placebo response in psychiatric medicine and identify research directions for the future. We argue that more research is needed into the placebo response in psychiatric medicine for three broad reasons. First, awareness of factors that cause placebo response, for whom, and when, within clinical trials will allow us to better evidence efficacy of new treatments. Second, by understanding how placebo mechanisms operate in the clinic, we can take advantage of these to optimise the effects of current treatments. Finally, exploring the biological mechanisms of placebo effects might reveal tractable targets for novel treatment development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan T.M. Huneke
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- University Department of Psychiatry, Academic Centre, College Keep, 4-12 Terminus Terrace, Southampton, SO14 3DT, UK
| | - Nic van der Wee
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Matthew Garner
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- Academic Unit of Psychology, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - David S. Baldwin
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- University Department of Psychiatry, Academic Centre, College Keep, 4-12 Terminus Terrace, Southampton, SO14 3DT, UK
- University Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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Expectation-induced placebo effect on acute sadness in women with major depression: An experimental investigation. J Affect Disord 2020; 274:920-928. [PMID: 32664033 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.05.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Meta-analyses demonstrate that placebo effects play an important role in antidepressant treatment. Expectations seem to constitute a highly relevant placebo mechanism in this context. This study investigated whether an expectation manipulation combined with the intake of an active placebo could reduce acute sadness in depressed participants following a sadness-inducing mood manipulation. METHODS Women who suffered from a major depressive episode (N = 94) were randomly allocated to the drug expectation group (expectation to receive a fast-operating antidepressant), the placebo expectation group (expectation to receive a placebo) or the no treatment group (no expectation, no placebo). The drug expectation and the placebo expectation group received a placebo. All participants watched a sadness-inducing film. Sadness was assessed at baseline, after randomization and after placebo intake and mood induction. Data were analyzed by a 3 × 3 analysis of variance. RESULTS There were significant between-group differences in sadness change from the baseline after mood induction. While sadness increased in the no treatment group, it did not change in the placebo expectation group. In the drug expectation group, sadness even decreased. LIMITATIONS Only a single medication intake was simulated. Effects on acute sadness do not allow inferences about depression symptoms. CONCLUSION This experimental study found a placebo effect on sadness in clinically depressed participants. The effects were even larger than expected. Future research must investigate placebo effects on depression symptoms as well as long-term placebo intake.
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Hall KT, Vase L, Tobias DK, Dashti HT, Vollert J, Kaptchuk TJ, Cook NR. Historical Controls in Randomized Clinical Trials: Opportunities and Challenges. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2020; 109:343-351. [PMID: 32602555 DOI: 10.1002/cpt.1970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Randomized control trials (RCTs) with placebo are the gold standard for determining efficacy of novel pharmaceutical treatments. Since their inception, over 75 years ago, researchers have amassed a large body of underutilized data on outcomes in the placebo control arms of these trials. Although rare disease indications have used these historical placebo data as synthetic controls to reduce burden on patients and accelerate drug discovery, broad use of historical controls is in its infancy. Large-scale historical placebo data could be leveraged to benefit both drug developers and patients if warehoused and made more available to guide trial design and analysis. Here, we examine challenges in utilizing historical controls related to heterogeneity in trial design, outcome ascertainment, patient characteristics, and unmeasured pharmacogenomic effects. We then discuss the advantages and disadvantages of current approaches and propose a path forward to broader use of historical controls in RCTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn T Hall
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lene Vase
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Deirdre K Tobias
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hesam T Dashti
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jan Vollert
- Pain Research, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.,Neurophysiology, Centre for Biomedicine and Medical Technology Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ted J Kaptchuk
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nancy R Cook
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Stahl ST, Jung C, Weiner DK, Peciña M, Karp JF. Opioid Exposure Negatively Affects Antidepressant Response to Venlafaxine in Older Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain and Depression. PAIN MEDICINE (MALDEN, MASS.) 2020; 21:1538-1545. [PMID: 31633789 PMCID: PMC7530569 DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnz279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are commonly co-prescribed with opioids for chronic pain. The purpose of this study was to describe pain and mood response to venlafaxine among older adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and depression relative to opioid exposure. DESIGN Secondary analyses were collected from a randomized clinical trial testing a stepped-care approach to comorbid pain and depression in older patients: the Addressing Depression and Pain Together study (ADAPT: 2010-2016). SETTING University-based late-life mental health research clinic. SUBJECTS Two hundred twenty-seven adults aged 65+ years with CLBP and depression. METHODS Participants received six weeks of lower-dose venlafaxine (≤150 mg/d). Pain and depression were measured each week. Response for both pain and depression at the end of six weeks was defined by a ≥30% improvement on a 0-20 numeric rating scale for low back pain and a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score ≤5. Opioid exposure was analyzed as prescribed (yes or no) and by morphine equivalent dosing (MED). RESULTS Patients co-prescribed an opioid were less likely to report a pain response to venlafaxine. MED was negatively correlated with pain response. Depression response was not impacted. CONCLUSIONS Opioids are negatively associated with older adults' early analgesic response to lower-dose venlafaxine. These findings suggest that clinicians may wish to consider either nonopioid or alternative antidepressant approaches to pain management in these complex patients. It is reassuring that opioids do not prevent depression response. Future research should examine both longer duration of treatment and a wider range of doses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Changgi Jung
- Departments of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Debra K Weiner
- Departments of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Departments of Geriatric Research, Education and Clinic Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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37
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Rief W. [The role of placebo and nocebo mechanisms in depressive diseases and their treatment]. DER NERVENARZT 2020; 91:675-683. [PMID: 32607602 DOI: 10.1007/s00115-020-00940-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is substantial evidence that placebo and nocebo effects occur during treatment with antidepressants. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of these effects is necessary to optimize the outcome of treatment and to make clinical studies more sensitive. METHODS Placebo and nocebo mechanisms were analyzed based on empirical studies and the results are summarized in a narrative review. RESULTS Clinical studies and also experimental mechanism-oriented studies underline the effects of placebo and nocebo mechanisms in the treatment with antidepressants. CONCLUSION The success of treatment in the use of antidepressants can be increased and the probability of side effects can be reduced by the effective use of placebo mechanisms and reduction of nocebo effects. The results emphasize the influence of clinician-patient interactions, the role of the treatment context and previous experiences with other treatments of the patient. Simultaneously, the results of this research field stimulate a new understanding of mental disorders, in particular depression and also provide points of reference for optimization of psychotherapeutic treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winfried Rief
- Psychotherapie Ambulanz, Philipps Universität Marburg, Gutenbergstraße 18, 35032, Marburg, Deutschland.
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38
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Saad Z, Hibar D, Fedgchin M, Popova V, Furey ML, Singh JB, Kolb H, Drevets WC, Chen G. Effects of Mu-Opiate Receptor Gene Polymorphism rs1799971 (A118G) on the Antidepressant and Dissociation Responses in Esketamine Nasal Spray Clinical Trials. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2020; 23:549-558. [PMID: 32367114 PMCID: PMC7710914 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyaa030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background At ketamine and esketamine doses at which antidepressant doses are achieved, these agents are relatively selective, noncompetitive, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists. However, at substantially higher doses, ketamine has shown mu-opioid receptor (MOR–gene symbol: OPRM1) agonist effects. Preliminary clinical studies showed conflicting results on whether naltrexone, a MOR antagonist, blocks the antidepressant action of ketamine. We examined drug-induced or endogenous MOR involvement in the antidepressant and dissociative responses to esketamine by assessing the effects of a functional single nucleotide polymorphism rs1799971 (A118G) of OPRM1, which is known to alter MOR agonist-mediated responses. Methods Participants with treatment-resistant depression from 2 phase III, double-blind, controlled trials of esketamine (or placebo) nasal spray plus an oral antidepressant were genotyped for rs1799971. Participants received the experimental agents twice weekly for 4 weeks. Antidepressant responses were rated using the change in Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score on days 2 and 28 post-dose initiation, and dissociative side effects were assessed using the Clinician-Administered Dissociative-States Scale at 40 minutes post-dose on days 1 and 25. Results In the esketamine + antidepressant arm, no significant genotype effect of single nucleotide polymorphism rs1799971 (A118G) on MADRS score reductions was detected on either day 2 or 28. By contrast, in the antidepressant + placebo arm, there was a significant genotype effect on MADRS score reductions on day 2 and a nonsignificant trend on day 28 towards an improvement in depression symptoms in G-allele carriers. No significant genotype effects on dissociative responses were detected. Conclusions Variation in rs1799971 (A118G) did not affect the antidepressant response to esketamine + antidepressant. Antidepressant response to antidepressant + placebo was increased in G-allele carriers, compatible with previous reports that release of endorphins/enkephalins may play a role in mediating placebo effect. Trial Registration NCT02417064 and NCT02418585; www.clinicaltrials.gov
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziad Saad
- Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, California
| | | | | | | | - Maura L Furey
- Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, California
| | | | - Hartmuth Kolb
- Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, California
| | | | - Guang Chen
- Janssen Research & Development, San Diego, California
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Rolle CE, Fonzo GA, Wu W, Toll R, Jha MK, Cooper C, Chin-Fatt C, Pizzagalli DA, Trombello JM, Deckersbach T, Fava M, Weissman MM, Trivedi MH, Etkin A. Cortical Connectivity Moderators of Antidepressant vs Placebo Treatment Response in Major Depressive Disorder: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry 2020; 77:397-408. [PMID: 31895437 PMCID: PMC6990859 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.3867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Despite the widespread awareness of functional magnetic resonance imaging findings suggesting a role for cortical connectivity networks in treatment selection for major depressive disorder, its clinical utility remains limited. Recent methodological advances have revealed functional magnetic resonance imaging-like connectivity networks using electroencephalography (EEG), a tool more easily implemented in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE To determine whether EEG connectivity could reveal neural moderators of antidepressant treatment. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In this nonprespecified secondary analysis, data were analyzed from the Establishing Moderators and Biosignatures of Antidepressant Response in Clinic Care study, a placebo-controlled, double-blinded randomized clinical trial. Recruitment began July 29, 2011, and was completed December 15, 2015. A random sample of 221 outpatients with depression aged 18 to 65 years who were not taking medication for depression was recruited and assessed at 4 clinical sites. Analysis was performed on an intent-to-treat basis. Statistical analysis was performed from November 16, 2018, to May 23, 2019. INTERVENTIONS Patients received either the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor sertraline hydrochloride or placebo for 8 weeks. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Electroencephalographic orthogonalized power envelope connectivity analyses were applied to resting-state EEG data. Intent-to-treat prediction linear mixed models were used to determine which pretreatment connectivity patterns were associated with response to sertraline vs placebo. The primary clinical outcome was the total score on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, administered at each study visit. RESULTS Of the participants recruited, 9 withdrew after first dose owing to reported adverse effects, and 221 participants (150 women; mean [SD] age, 37.8 [12.7] years) underwent EEG recordings and had high-quality pretreatment EEG data. After correction for multiple comparisons, connectome-wide analyses revealed moderation by connections within and between widespread cortical regions-most prominently parietal-for both the antidepressant and placebo groups. Greater alpha-band and lower gamma-band connectivity predicted better placebo outcomes and worse antidepressant outcomes. Lower connectivity levels in these moderating connections were associated with higher levels of anhedonia. Connectivity features that moderate treatment response differentially by treatment group were distinct from connectivity features that change from baseline to 1 week into treatment. The group mean (SD) score on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression was 18.35 (4.58) at baseline and 26.14 (30.37) across all time points. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These findings establish the utility of EEG-based network functional connectivity analyses for differentiating between responses to an antidepressant vs placebo. A role emerged for parietal cortical regions in predicting placebo outcome. From a treatment perspective, capitalizing on the therapeutic components leading to placebo response differentially from antidepressant response should provide an alternative direction toward establishing a placebo signature in clinical trials, thereby enhancing the signal detection in randomized clinical trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01407094.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camarin E. Rolle
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California,Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California,Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, Palo Alto, California,Sierra Pacific Mental Illness, Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Palo Alto, California
| | - Gregory A. Fonzo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California,Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California,Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, Palo Alto, California,Sierra Pacific Mental Illness, Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Palo Alto, California,Department of Psychiatry, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin
| | - Wei Wu
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California,Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California,Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, Palo Alto, California,School of Automation Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Russ Toll
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California,Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California,Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, Palo Alto, California
| | - Manish K. Jha
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - Crystal Cooper
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - Cherise Chin-Fatt
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | | | - Joseph M. Trombello
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - Thilo Deckersbach
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Maurizio Fava
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Myrna M. Weissman
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York
| | - Madhukar H. Trivedi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - Amit Etkin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California,Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California,Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, Palo Alto, California,Sierra Pacific Mental Illness, Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Palo Alto, California,now at Alto Neuroscience Inc, Los Altos, California
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In major depression, increased kappa and mu opioid receptor levels are associated with immune activation. Acta Neuropsychiatr 2020; 32:99-108. [PMID: 31753054 DOI: 10.1017/neu.2019.47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study was carried out to delineate differences between major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls in dynorphin and kappa opioid receptor (KOR) levels in association with changes in the β-endorphin - mu opioid receptor (MOR) and immune-inflammatory system. METHODS The present study examines dynorphin, KOR, β-endorphin, MOR, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 in 60 drug-free male participants with MDD and 30 age-matched healthy males. RESULTS Serum dynorphin, KOR, β-endorphin and MOR are significantly higher in MDD as compared to controls. The increases in the dynorphin/KOR system and β-endorphin/MOR system are significantly intercorrelated and are both strongly associated with increased IL-6 and IL-10 levels. Dynorphin, β-endorphin, KOR and both cytokines showed a good diagnostic performance for MDD versus controls with a bootstrapped (n = 2000) area under the receiver operating curve of 0.972. The dynorphin/KOR system is significantly decreased in depression with comorbid nicotine dependence. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that, in MDD, immune activation is associated with a simultaneous activation of dynorphin/KOR and β-endorphin/MOR signaling and that these opioid systems may participate in the pathophysiology of depression by (a) exerting immune-regulatory activities attenuating the primary immune response and (b) modulating reward responses and mood as well as emotional and behavioural responses to stress.
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41
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Anderson G. Pathoetiology and pathophysiology of borderline personality: Role of prenatal factors, gut microbiome, mu- and kappa-opioid receptors in amygdala-PFC interactions. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2020; 98:109782. [PMID: 31689444 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.109782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 10/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The pathoetiology and pathophysiology of borderline personality disorder (BPD) have been relatively under-explored. Consequently, no targetted pharmaceutical treatments or preventative interventions are available. The current article reviews the available data on the biological underpinnings of BPD, highlighting a role for early developmental processes, including prenatal stress and maternal dysbiosis, in BPD pathoetiology. Such factors are proposed to drive alterations in the infant's gut microbiome, in turn modulating amygdala development and the amygdala's two-way interactions with other brain regions. Alterations in opioidergic activity, including variations in the ratio of the mu-and kappa-opioid receptors seem a significant aspect of BPD pathophysiology, contributing to its comorbidities with depression, anxiety, impulsivity and addiction. Stress and dysphoria are commonly experienced in people classed with BPD. A growing body of data, across a host of medical conditions, indicate that stress and mood dysregulation may be intimately associated with gut dysbiosis and increased gut permeability, coupled to heightened levels of oxidative stress and immune-inflammatory activity. It urgently requires investigation as to the relevance of such gut changes in the course of BPD symptomatology. Accumulating data indicates that BPD symptom exacerbations may be linked to cyclical variations in estrogen, in turn decreasing serotonin and local melatonin synthesis, and thereby overlapping with the pathophysiology of migraine and endometriosis, which also have a heightened association with BPD. Future research directions and treatment implications are indicated.
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Aichner S, Haile A, Hoffmann V, Olliges E, Tschöp MH, Meissner K. The Role of Tactile Stimulation for Expectation, Perceived Treatment Assignment and the Placebo Effect in an Experimental Nausea Paradigm. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1212. [PMID: 31798402 PMCID: PMC6863803 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Tactile stimulation during a placebo treatment could enhance its credibility and thereby boost positive treatment expectations and the placebo effect. This experimental study aimed to investigate the interplay between tactile stimulation, expectation, and treatment credibility for the placebo effect in nausea. Methods Ninety healthy participants were exposed to a 20-min vection stimulus on two separate days and were randomly allocated to one of three groups on the second day after the baseline period: Placebo transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) with tactile stimulation (n = 30), placebo TENS without tactile stimulation (n = 30), or no intervention (n = 30). Placebo TENS was performed for 20 min at a dummy acupuncture point on both forearms. Expected and perceived nausea severity and further symptoms of motion sickness were assessed at baseline and during the evaluation period. At the end of the experiment, participants in the placebo groups guessed whether they had received active or placebo treatment. Results Expected nausea decreased significantly more in the placebo groups as compared to the no treatment control group (interaction day × group, F = 6.60, p = 0.003, partial η2 = 0.20), with equal reductions in the two placebo groups (p = 1.0). Reduced expectation went along with a significant placebo effect on nausea (interaction day × group, F = 22.2, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.35) with no difference between the two placebo groups (p = 1.0). Twenty-three out of 29 participants in the tactile placebo group (79%) but only 14 out of 30 participants (47%) in the non-tactile placebo group believed that they had received the active intervention (p = 0.015). Bang’s blinding index (BI) indicated random guessing in the non-tactile placebo group (BI = 0; 95% CI, −0.35 to 0.35) and non-random guessing in the direction of an “opposite guess” in the tactile placebo group (BI = −0.52; 95% CI, −0.81 to −0.22). Conclusion Tactile stimulation during placebo TENS did not further enhance positive treatment expectations and the placebo effect in nausea but increased the credibility of the intervention. Further trials should investigate the interaction between perceived treatment assignment, expectation, and the placebo effect during the course of a trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Aichner
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anja Haile
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Verena Hoffmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Olliges
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Division of Health Promotion, Coburg University of Applied Sciences, Coburg, Germany
| | - Matthias H Tschöp
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany.,Division of Metabolic Diseases, Department of Medicine, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Karin Meissner
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Division of Health Promotion, Coburg University of Applied Sciences, Coburg, Germany
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Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Hood SD, Drummond PD. Efficacy of a standardised saffron extract (affron®) as an add-on to antidepressant medication for the treatment of persistent depressive symptoms in adults: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Psychopharmacol 2019; 33:1415-1427. [PMID: 31475623 DOI: 10.1177/0269881119867703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As a stand-alone intervention, saffron has efficacy for the treatment of mild-to-moderate depression. However, research as an adjunct agent is limited. AIMS The effects of saffron as an adjunct to pharmaceutical antidepressants in adults with persistent depression was investigated. METHODS In this eight-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, adults with persistent depression, currently taking a pharmaceutical antidepressant were given a placebo or a saffron extract (affron®, 14 mg b.i.d.). Primary outcome measures included the clinician-rated Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and self-rated MADRS (MADRS-S). Secondary outcome measures included the Antidepressant Side-Effect Checklist (ASEC) and Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). RESULTS Of the 160 participants enrolled, 139 provided usable data. Based on the MADRS, depressive symptoms decreased more in participants taking saffron compared with a placebo, with reductions of 41 and 21%, respectively (p = 0.001). However, scores on the MADRS-S decreased 27 and 26% in the saffron and placebo conditions, respectively (p = 0.831). Saffron was associated with a greater reduction in adverse effects of antidepressants (p = 0.019), although this was non-significant after covarying for baseline values (p = 0.449). Quality of life improved in both groups with no significant between-group differences (p = 0.638). CONCLUSION Adjunctive administration of a standardised saffron extract (affron®) for eight weeks was associated with a greater improvement in depressive symptoms as measured by the clinician-rated MADRS but not the self-report MADRS-S. Given the conflicting results, further research is needed to clarify the clinical benefits of saffron as an adjunctive treatment for adults with persistent depressive symptoms despite antidepressant drug treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian L Lopresti
- College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia.,Clinical Research Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Stephen J Smith
- College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia.,Clinical Research Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Sean D Hood
- Division of Psychiatry, UWA Medical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Peter D Drummond
- College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
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Hall KT, Loscalzo J. Drug-Placebo Additivity in Randomized Clinical Trials. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2019; 106:1191-1197. [PMID: 31502253 DOI: 10.1002/cpt.1626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In randomized clinical trials (RCTs), it is assumed that nonspecific effects beyond action of pharmacological agents are roughly equivalent in drug and placebo treatment groups. Hence, since the inception of RCTs, drug efficacy is determined by comparing outcomes in active to those in placebo control arms. However, quantitation of efficacy is based on an unproven assumption, that drug and placebo responses are always additive. Response to treatment in RCTs can be differentially influenced by the perturbing effects of patient expectations, side effects, and pharmacogenomic interactions in both drug and placebo arms. Ability to control for these effects requires understanding of when and where they arise, how to mitigate, analyze, and even leverage their impact. Here, we examine three factors that influence additivity: expectation, side effects, and pharmacogenomics. Furthermore, to provide novel insights into nonadditivity and solutions for managing it, we introduce systems pharmacogenomics, a network approach to integrating and analyzing the effects of the numerous interacting perturbations to which a patient is exposed in RCTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn T Hall
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joseph Loscalzo
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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45
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Neural Predictors of the Antidepressant Placebo Response. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2019; 12:ph12040158. [PMID: 31635043 PMCID: PMC6958379 DOI: 10.3390/ph12040158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The antidepressant placebo response remains a barrier to the development of novel therapies for depression, despite decades of efforts to identify and methodologically address its clinical correlates. This manuscript reviews recent neuroimaging studies that aim to identify the neural signature of antidepressant placebo response. Data captured in clinical trials have primarily focused on antidepressant efficacy or predicting antidepressant response and have reliably implicated the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) in antidepressant placebo response, but also in medication response. Imaging and electroencephalography (EEG) experiments specifically interrogating the mechanism of antidepressant placebo response, while few, suggest the reward network, including opiate neurotransmission, is also involved. Therefore, while the rACC is likely involved in the antidepressant placebo response, its observation in isolation is unlikely to prospectively distinguish antidepressant placebo from medication responders. Instead, future studies of antidepressant placebo response should probe the reward network as a whole and incorporate sophisticated computational analytical approaches.
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Colom M, Vidal B, Zimmer L. Is There a Role for GPCR Agonist Radiotracers in PET Neuroimaging? Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:255. [PMID: 31680859 PMCID: PMC6813225 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a molecular imaging modality that enables in vivo exploration of metabolic processes and especially the pharmacology of neuroreceptors. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play an important role in numerous pathophysiologic disorders of the central nervous system. Thus, they are targets of choice in PET imaging to bring proof concept of change in density in pathological conditions or in pharmacological challenge. At present, most radiotracers are antagonist ligands. In vitro data suggest that properties differ between GPCR agonists and antagonists: antagonists bind to receptors with a single affinity, whereas agonists are characterized by two different affinities: high affinity for receptors that undergo functional coupling to G-proteins, and low affinity for those that are not coupled. In this context, agonist radiotracers may be useful tools to give functional images of GPCRs in the brain, with high sensitivity to neurotransmitter release. Here, we review all existing PET radiotracers used from animals to humans and their role for understanding the ligand-receptor paradigm of GPCR in comparison with corresponding antagonist radiotracers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Colom
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France.,CERMEP, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Benjamin Vidal
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Luc Zimmer
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France.,CERMEP, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, France.,Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucléaires, CEA Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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Vega JN, Albert KM, Mayer IA, Taylor WD, Newhouse PA. Nicotinic treatment of post-chemotherapy subjective cognitive impairment: a pilot study. J Cancer Surviv 2019; 13:673-686. [PMID: 31338732 PMCID: PMC6993088 DOI: 10.1007/s11764-019-00786-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Persistent chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (pCRCI) is commonly reported following cancer treatment and negatively affects quality of life; however, there is currently no pharmacological treatment indicated for pCRCI. This pilot study obtained preliminary data regarding the use of transdermal nicotine patches as a therapeutic strategy for women with pCRCI to (1) reduce subjective cognitive complaints and (2) enhance objective cognitive performance in breast, colon, lymphoma, or ovarian cancer survivors with pCRCI. METHODS Participants were randomized to either placebo (n = 11) or transdermal nicotine (n = 11) for 6 weeks, followed by 2 weeks of treatment withdrawal for a total of 8 weeks. Participants were assessed using both subjective and objective measures of cognitive functioning at five visits before, during, and after treatment. RESULTS Over the course of the study, women in both groups improved substantially in severity of self-reported cognitive complaints measured by Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function Perceived Cognitive Impairments regardless of treatment arm. Additionally, objective cognitive performance measures improved in both groups; however, there was no significant difference in improvement between groups. CONCLUSIONS Due to a large placebo response, we were unable to determine if a drug effect was present. However, we did observe substantial improvement in self-reported cognitive symptoms, likely resulting from factors related to participation in the trial rather than specific drug treatment effects. TRIAL REGISTRATION The study was registered with clinicaltrials.gov (trial registration: NCT02312943). IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS These results suggest that women with pCRCI can exhibit improvement in subjective cognition, with attention paid to symptoms and close follow-up over a short period of time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer N Vega
- Center for Cognitive Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Ave. South, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA.
| | - Kimberly M Albert
- Center for Cognitive Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Ave. South, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
| | - Ingrid A Mayer
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center/Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Warren D Taylor
- Center for Cognitive Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Ave. South, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
- Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Health System, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Paul A Newhouse
- Center for Cognitive Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Ave. South, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
- Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Health System, Nashville, TN, USA
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Brown V, Peciña M. Neuroimaging Studies of Antidepressant Placebo Effects: Challenges and Opportunities. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:669. [PMID: 31616327 PMCID: PMC6768950 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last two decades, neuroscientists have used antidepressant placebo probes to examine the biological mechanisms implicated in expectancies of mood improvement.However, findings from these studies have yet to elucidate a model-based theory that would explain the mechanisms through which antidepressant expectancies evolve to induce persistent mood changes. Compared to other fields, the development of experimental models of antidepressant placebo effects faces significant challenges, such as the delayed mechanism of action of conventional antidepressants and the complex internal dynamics of mood. Still, recent neuroimaging studies of antidepressant placebo effects have shown remarkable similarities to those observed in other disciplines (e.g., placebo analgesia), such as placebo-induced increased µ-opioid signaling and blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) responses in areas involved in cognitive control, the representation of expected values and reward and emotional processing. This review will summarize these findings and the challenges and opportunities that arise from applying methodologies used in the field of placebo analgesia into the field of antidepressant placebo effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marta Peciña
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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Zilcha-Mano S, Wang Z, Peterson B, Wall MM, Chen Y, Wager TD, Brown PJ, Roose SP, Rutherford BR. Neural mechanisms of expectancy-based placebo effects in antidepressant clinical trials. J Psychiatr Res 2019; 116:19-25. [PMID: 31176108 PMCID: PMC6790474 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patient expectancy of therapeutic improvement is a primary mediator of placebo effects in antidepressant clinical trials, but its mechanisms are poorly understood. This study employed a novel antidepressant trial design, with integrated functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), to manipulate patient outcome expectancy and examine its neural mediators. METHOD Twenty-three depressed outpatients, in a randomized controlled trial were assigned to either Open (high outcome expectancy) or Placebo-controlled (low outcome expectancy) treatment with citalopram for eight weeks. fMRI scans were acquired before and after the expectancy manipulation (before medication treatment), while participants performed a masked emotional face task. Focusing on an amygdala region-of-interest (ROI), we tested a model where reduction in amygdala activation mediated outcome expectancy effects on the slope of change in depressive symptoms. RESULTS Following the manipulation, significant differences between conditions were found in neural activation changes in the amygdala, as well as in superior temporal gyrus, insula, and thalamus. Findings support the proposed mediation model according to which activation in the left amygdala ROI decreased significantly in the Open as opposed to the Placebo-controlled group following randomization (p = 0.009) for sad vs. neutral face contrast. The reduced left amygdala activation, in turn, was a significant predictor of decreased depressive symptoms during the trial (p = 0.007), and the mediation model was significant. CONCLUSIONS Results from this study, the first designed to identify the neural mechanisms of expectancy augmentation in an antidepressant randomized control trial, suggest that therapeutic modulation of amygdala activity may be an important pathway by which patient outcome expectancy influences depressive symptoms. CLINICALTRIALS. GOV IDENTIFIER NCT01919216; Trial name: Placebo Effects in the Treatment of Depression: Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms, URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01919216.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigal Zilcha-Mano
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa Mount Carmel, Haifa, 31905, Israel.
| | - Zhishun Wang
- (b)Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York State Psychiatric Institute, USA.
| | | | - Melanie M. Wall
- Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York State Psychiatric Institute
| | - Ying Chen
- (b)Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York State Psychiatric Institute, USA.
| | - Tor D. Wager
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado at Boulder
| | - Patrick J. Brown
- Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York State Psychiatric Institute
| | - Steven P. Roose
- Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York State Psychiatric Institute
| | - Bret R Rutherford
- (b)Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York State Psychiatric Institute, USA.
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50
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Gaab J. The placebo and its effects: A psychoneuroendocrinological perspective. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 105:3-8. [PMID: 30098833 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Placebos are usually employed deceptively in clinical trials in order to control for non-specific effects. However, since placebos themselves have been found to cause clinically relevant changes and in some cases are indistinguishable from the verum they are tested against, this theoretically inert, but practically effective intervention has become a scientific discipline in its own right. In this review, it is argued that placebos are generic and genuine biopsychosocial interventions and as such are highly interesting candidates for a psychoneuroendocrinological perspective. Yet, despite a considerable conceptual proximity between explanatory models of placebos and their effects with psychoneuroendocrine models and findings, placebos have thus far not been subject to systematic psychoneuroendocrine examination. Consequently, it would be highly interesting and informative to make placebos the target of psychoneuroendocrine scrutiny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Gaab
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Switzerland.
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