Berg M, Riehle M, Rief W, Lincoln T. Does partial blockade of dopamine D2 receptors with Amisulpride cause anhedonia? An experimental study in healthy volunteers.
J Psychiatr Res 2023;
158:409-416. [PMID:
36680855 DOI:
10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.01.014]
[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: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Anhedonia is a frequent cause of functional impairment in psychosis. Although it is plausible that medication-induced D2 receptor blockade could diminish hedonic responding, there is little experimental research testing this hypothesis in humans.
METHODS
To inspect possible effects of partial D2 blockade on hedonic experiences, we administered 300 mg of Amisulpride or placebo to 85 participants in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants were then subjected to an emotional evocation task utilizing standardized pictorial pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant stimuli.
RESULTS
We observed lower positivity ratings in the Amisulpride group compared to placebo across all stimulus categories (p = .026, f = 0.25) and no group differences in negativity or arousal ratings. The Amisulpride group also showed lower electrodermal responses across all stimulus categories compared to placebo (p = .017, f = 0.27). The electrodermal response was especially diminished for pleasant stimuli.
CONCLUSION
We interpret our findings as evidence that D2 blockade via Amisulpride can reduce at-the-moment hedonic responsivity in healthy volunteers. If these results can be confirmed in drug-naïve clinical samples, this would indicate that antipsychotic medication contributes to clinical anhedonia, probably via antagonistic effects at the dopamine D2 receptor.
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