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Beck K, Arumuham A, Brugger S, McCutcheon RA, Veronese M, Santangelo B, McGinnity CJ, Dunn J, Kaar S, Singh N, Pillinger T, Borgan F, Sementa T, Neji R, Jauhar S, Aigbirhio F, Boros I, Turkheimer F, Hammers A, Lythgoe D, Stone J, Howes OD. The association between N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor availability and glutamate levels: A multi-modal PET-MR brain imaging study in first-episode psychosis and healthy controls. J Psychopharmacol 2022; 36:1051-1060. [PMID: 36120998 DOI: 10.1177/02698811221099643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence from post-mortem studies and in vivo imaging studies suggests there may be reduced N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) levels in the hippocampus in patients with schizophrenia. Other studies have reported increased glutamate in striatum in schizophrenia patients. It has been hypothesised that NMDAR hypofunction leads to the disinhibition of glutamatergic signalling; however, this has not been tested in vivo. METHODS In this study, we investigated the relationship between hippocampal NMDAR and striatal glutamate using simultaneous positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance (PET-MR) imaging. We recruited 40 volunteers to this cross-sectional study; 21 patients with schizophrenia, all in their first episode of illness, and 19 healthy controls. We measured hippocampal NMDAR availability using the PET ligand [18F]GE179. This was indexed relative to whole brain as the distribution volume ratio (DVR). Striatal glutamatergic indices (glutamate and Glx) were acquired simultaneously, using combined PET-MR proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). RESULTS A total of 33 individuals (15 healthy controls, 18 patients) were included in the analyses (mean (SD) age of controls, 27.31 (4.68) years; mean (SD) age of patients, 24.75 (4.33), 27 male and 6 female). We found an inverse relationship between hippocampal DVR and striatal glutamate levels in people with first-episode psychosis (rho = -0.74, p < 0.001) but not in healthy controls (rho = -0.22, p = 0.44). CONCLUSION This study show that lower relative NMDAR availability in the hippocampus may drive increased striatal glutamate levels in patients with schizophrenia. Further work is required to determine whether these findings may yield new targets for drug development in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Beck
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Atheeshaan Arumuham
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Stefan Brugger
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Robert A McCutcheon
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Mattia Veronese
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Barbara Santangelo
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Colm J McGinnity
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Joel Dunn
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Stephen Kaar
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Nisha Singh
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Toby Pillinger
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Faith Borgan
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Teresa Sementa
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Radhouene Neji
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
- MR Research Collaborations, Siemens Healthcare Limited, Frimley, UK
| | - Sameer Jauhar
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Franklin Aigbirhio
- Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Istvan Boros
- Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Federico Turkheimer
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alexander Hammers
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - David Lythgoe
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - James Stone
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, Eastbourne District General Hospital, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Eastbourne, UK
| | - Oliver D Howes
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Beck K, Arumuham A, Veronese M, Santangelo B, McGinnity CJ, Dunn J, McCutcheon RA, Kaar SJ, Singh N, Pillinger T, Borgan F, Stone J, Jauhar S, Sementa T, Turkheimer F, Hammers A, Howes OD. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor availability in first-episode psychosis: a PET-MR brain imaging study. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:425. [PMID: 34385418 PMCID: PMC8361127 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01540-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction is hypothesised to underlie psychosis but this has not been tested early in illness. To address this, we studied 40 volunteers (21 patients with first-episode psychosis and 19 matched healthy controls) using PET imaging with an NMDAR selective ligand, [18F]GE-179, that binds to the ketamine binding site to index its distribution volume ratio (DVR) and volume of distribution (VT). Hippocampal DVR, but not VT, was significantly lower in patients relative to controls (p = 0.02, Cohen's d = 0.81; p = 0.15, Cohen's d = 0.49), and negatively associated with total (rho = -0.47, p = 0.04), depressive (rho = -0.67, p = 0.002), and general symptom severity (rho = -0.74, p < 0.001). Exploratory analyses found no significant differences in other brain regions (anterior cingulate cortex, thalamus, striatum and temporal cortex). These findings are consistent with the NMDAR hypofunction hypothesis and identify the hippocampus as a key locus for relative NMDAR hypofunction, although further studies should test specificity and causality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Beck
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK.
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK.
| | - Atheeshaan Arumuham
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Mattia Veronese
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Barbara Santangelo
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Colm J McGinnity
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Joel Dunn
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Robert A McCutcheon
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Stephen J Kaar
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Nisha Singh
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Toby Pillinger
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Faith Borgan
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- COMPASS Pathways plc, London, UK
| | - James Stone
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, UK
| | - Sameer Jauhar
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Teresa Sementa
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Federico Turkheimer
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alexander Hammers
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Oliver D Howes
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK.
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK.
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Vibholm AK, Landau AM, Møller A, Jacobsen J, Vang K, Munk OL, Orlowski D, Sørensen JC, Brooks DJ. NMDA receptor ion channel activation detected in vivo with [ 18F]GE-179 PET after electrical stimulation of rat hippocampus. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2021; 41:1301-1312. [PMID: 32960687 PMCID: PMC8142139 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x20954928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The positron emission tomography (PET) tracer [18F]GE-179 binds to the phencyclidine (PCP) site in the open N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor ion channel (NMDAR-IC). To demonstrate that PET can visualise increased [18F]GE-179 uptake by active NMDAR-ICs and that this can be blocked by the PCP antagonist S-ketamine, 15 rats had an electrode unilaterally implanted in their ventral hippocampus. Seven rats had no stimulation, five received pulsed 400 µA supra-threshold 60 Hz stimulation alone, and three received intravenous S-ketamine injection prior to stimulation. Six other rats were not implanted. Each rat had a 90 min [18F]GE-179 PET scan. Stimulated rats had simultaneous depth-EEG recordings of induced seizure activity. [18F]GE-179 uptake (volume of distribution, VT) was compared between hemispheres and between groups. Electrical stimulation induced a significant increase in [18F]GE-179 uptake at the electrode site compared to the contralateral hippocampus (mean 22% increase in VT, p = 0.0014) and to non-stimulated comparator groups. Rats injected with S-ketamine prior to stimulation maintained non-stimulated levels of [18F]GE-179 uptake during stimulation. In conclusion, PET visualisation of focal [18F]GE-179 uptake during electrically activated NMDAR-ICs and the demonstration of specificity for PCP sites by blockade with S-ketamine support the in vivo utility of [18F]GE-179 PET as a use-dependent marker of NMDAR-IC activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali K Vibholm
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Anne M Landau
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.,Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Arne Møller
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.,Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jan Jacobsen
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Kim Vang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ole L Munk
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Dariusz Orlowski
- Department of Neurosurgery and CENSE, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jens Ch Sørensen
- Department of Neurosurgery and CENSE, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - David J Brooks
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.,Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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