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Shatalina E, Whitehurst TS, Onwordi EC, Gilbert BJ, Rizzo G, Whittington A, Mansur A, Tsukada H, Marques TR, Natesan S, Rabiner EA, Wall MB, Howes OD. Mitochondrial complex I density is associated with IQ and cognition in cognitively healthy adults: an in vivo [ 18F]BCPP-EF PET study. EJNMMI Res 2024; 14:41. [PMID: 38632153 PMCID: PMC11024075 DOI: 10.1186/s13550-024-01099-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mitochondrial function plays a key role in regulating neurotransmission and may contribute to general intelligence. Mitochondrial complex I (MC-I) is the largest enzyme of the respiratory chain. Recently, it has become possible to measure MC-I distribution in vivo, using a novel positron emission tomography tracer [18F]BCPP-EF, thus, we set out to investigate the association between MC-I distribution and measures of cognitive function in the living healthy brain. RESULTS Analyses were performed in a voxel-wise manner and identified significant associations between [18F]BCPP-EF DVRCS-1 in the precentral gyrus and parietal lobes and WAIS-IV predicted IQ, WAIS-IV arithmetic and WAIS-IV symbol-digit substitution scores (voxel-wise Pearson's correlation coefficients transformed to Z-scores, thresholded at Z = 2.3 family-wise cluster correction at p < 0.05, n = 16). Arithmetic scores were associated with middle frontal and post-central gyri tracer uptake, symbol-digit substitution scores were associated with precentral gyrus tracer uptake. RAVLT recognition scores were associated with [18F]BCPP-EF DVRCS-1 in the middle frontal gyrus, post-central gyrus, occipital and parietal regions (n = 20). CONCLUSIONS Taken together, our findings support the theory that mitochondrial function may contribute to general intelligence and indicate that interindividual differences in MC-I should be a key consideration for research into mitochondrial dysfunction in conditions with cognitive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Shatalina
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), Kings College London, London, UK.
| | - Thomas S Whitehurst
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Ellis Chika Onwordi
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), Kings College London, London, UK
- Centre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Tiago Reis Marques
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), Kings College London, London, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Sridhar Natesan
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Eugenii A Rabiner
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), Kings College London, London, UK
- Invicro, London, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Invicro, London, UK
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Oliver D Howes
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), Kings College London, London, UK
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Hall D, Lawn W, Ofori S, Trinci K, Borissova A, Mokrysz C, Petrilli K, Bloomfield MAP, Wall MB, Freeman TP, Curran HV. The acute effects of cannabis, with and without cannabidiol, on attentional bias to cannabis related cues: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024:10.1007/s00213-024-06543-7. [PMID: 38416223 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06543-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
RATIONALE Attentional bias to drug-related stimuli is hypothesised to contribute towards addiction. However, the acute effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on attentional bias to cannabis cues, the differential response in adults and adolescents, and the moderating effect of cannabidiol (CBD) are unknown. OBJECTIVES Our study investigated (1) the acute effects of vaporised cannabis on attentional bias to cannabis-related images in adults and adolescents and (2) the moderating influences of age and CBD. METHODS We conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study where three weight-adjusted vaporised cannabis preparations: 'THC' (8 mg THC for a 75-kg person), 'THC + CBD' (8 mg THC and 24 mg CBD for a 75-kg person) and PLA (matched placebo). Cannabis was administered on 3 separate days to 48 participants, who used cannabis 0.5-3 days/week: 24 adolescents (12 females, aged 16-17) and 24 adults (12 females, aged 26-29). Participants completed a visual probe task with cannabis cues. Our primary outcome was attentional bias to cannabis stimuli, measured using the differential reaction time to a cannabis vs. neutral probe, on 200-ms trials. RESULTS In contrast to hypotheses, attention was directed away from cannabis cues on placebo, and there was a main effect of the drug (F(2,92) = 3.865, p = 0.024, η2p = 0.077), indicating THC administration eliminated this bias. There was no significant impact of CBD nor an age-by-drug interaction. CONCLUSIONS Acute THC intoxication eliminated attentional bias away from cannabis cues. There was no evidence of differential response in adolescents compared to adults and no evidence that a moderate vaporised dose of CBD altered the impact of cannabis on attentional bias. TRIAL REGISTRATION This study was listed with the US National Library of Medicine and registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, URL: Do Adolescents and Adults Differ in Their Acute Response to Cannabis?-Full Text View-ClinicalTrials.gov, registration number: NCT04851392.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Hall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- Daniel Hall, Springfield University Hospital, 15 Springfield Drive, London, SW17 0YF, UK
| | - Will Lawn
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, UK
| | - Shelan Ofori
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Katie Trinci
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Anya Borissova
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, UK
- NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, UK
| | - Claire Mokrysz
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kat Petrilli
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, London, UK
| | - Michael A P Bloomfield
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, UK
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, London, UK
| | - H Valerie Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
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Saleem A, Shah SIA, Mangar SA, Coello C, Wall MB, Rizzo G, Jones T, Price PM. Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients Treated with Androgen Deprivation Therapy: A Multimodality Functional Imaging Study to Evaluate Neuroinflammation. Prostate Cancer 2023; 2023:6641707. [PMID: 37885823 PMCID: PMC10599921 DOI: 10.1155/2023/6641707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer is implicated as a possible cause of cognitive impairment (CI). CI in dementia and Alzheimer's disease is associated with neuroinflammation. In this study, we investigated a potential role of neuroinflammation in ADT-related CI. Methods Patients with prostate cancer on ADT for ≥3 months were categorized as having ADT-emergent CI or normal cognition (NC) based on self-report at interview. Neuroinflammation was evaluated using positron emission tomography (PET) with the translocator protein (TSPO) radioligand [11C]-PBR28. [11C]-PBR28 uptake in various brain regions was quantified as standardized uptake value (SUVR, normalized to cerebellum) and related to blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-fMRI) choice-reaction time task (CRT) activation maps. Results Eleven patients underwent PET: four with reported CI (rCI), six with reported NC (rNC), and one status unrecorded. PET did not reveal any between-group differences in SUVR regionally or globally. There was no difference between groups on brain activation to the CRT. Regardless of the reported cognitive status, there was strong correlation between PET-TSPO signal and CRT activation in the hippocampus, amygdala, and medial cortex. Conclusions We found no difference in neuroinflammation measured by PET-TSPO between patients with rCI and rNC. However, we speculate that the strong correlation between TSPO uptake and BOLD-fMRI activation in brain regions involved in memory and known to have high androgen-receptor expression mediating plasticity (hippocampus and amygdala) might reflect inflammatory effects of ADT with compensatory upregulated/increased synaptic functions. Further studies of this imaging readout are warranted to investigate ADT-related CI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azeem Saleem
- Invicro, Burlington Danes Building, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, UK
- Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull HU6 7RX, UK
| | - Syed Imran Ali Shah
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, UK
- Department of Biochemistry, CMH Lahore Medical College & Institute of Dentistry, Lahore, Pakistan
| | | | - Christopher Coello
- Invicro, Burlington Danes Building, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, UK
| | - Matthew B. Wall
- Invicro, Burlington Danes Building, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, UK
| | - Gaia Rizzo
- Invicro, Burlington Danes Building, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, UK
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Terry Jones
- Department of Radiology, University of California Davis Medical Center, Davis, California, USA
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Pelgrim TAD, Ramaekers JG, Wall MB, Freeman TP, Bossong MG. Acute effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on resting state connectivity networks and impact of COMT genotype: A multi-site pharmacological fMRI study. Drug Alcohol Depend 2023; 251:110925. [PMID: 37598453 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.110925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cannabis produces various acute psychotropic effects, with marked individual differences. Cannabis use is a risk factor for developing psychotic disorders. The main component responsible for these effects is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Here we investigated the neural basis of acute THC effects and its modulation by catechol-methyl-transferase (COMT) Val158Met genotype. METHODS Resting state functional MRI data of healthy occasional cannabis users were combined and re-analyzed from three double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject pharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging studies (total N=87). Functional connectivity after placebo and THC was compared in three functional networks (salience, executive and default mode network) and a network implicated in psychosis (the hippocampus-midbrain-striatum network). COMT genotype modulation of subjective effects and connectivity was examined. RESULTS THC reduced connectivity in the salience network, specifically from the right insula to both the left insula and anterior cingulate cortex. We found a trend towards decreased connectivity in the hippocampus-midbrain-striatum network after THC. COMT genotype modulated subjective effects of THC, with strongest dysphoric reactions in Met/Met individuals. In addition, reduced connectivity after THC was demonstrated in the hippocampus-midbrain-striatum network of Met/Met individuals only. CONCLUSIONS In this large multisite study we found that THC robustly decreases connectivity in the salience network, involved in processing awareness and salient information. Connectivity changes in the hippocampus-midbrain-striatum network may reflect the acute psychotic-like effects of THC. COMT genotype modulation of THC's impact on subjective effects and functional connectivity provides further evidence for involvement of prefrontal dopamine levels in the acute effects of cannabis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teuntje A D Pelgrim
- Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Parnassia Psychiatric Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Johannes G Ramaekers
- Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK; Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Matthijs G Bossong
- Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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Wall MB, Harding R, Zafar R, Rabiner EA, Nutt DJ, Erritzoe D. Neuroimaging in psychedelic drug development: past, present, and future. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:3573-3580. [PMID: 37759038 PMCID: PMC10730398 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02271-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Psychedelic therapy (PT) is an emerging paradigm with great transdiagnostic potential for treating psychiatric disorders, including depression, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and potentially others. 'Classic' serotonergic psychedelics, such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), which have a key locus of action at the 5-HT2A receptor, form the main focus of this movement, but substances including ketamine, 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and ibogaine also hold promise. The modern phase of development of these treatment modalities in the early 21st century has occurred concurrently with the wider use of advanced human neuroscientific research methods; principally neuroimaging. This can potentially enable assessment of drug and therapy brain effects with greater precision and quantification than any previous novel development in psychiatric pharmacology. We outline the major trends in existing data and suggest the modern development of PT has benefitted greatly from the use of neuroimaging. Important gaps in existing knowledge are identified, namely: the relationship between acute drug effects and longer-term (clinically-relevant) effects, the precise characterisation of effects at the 5-HT2A receptor and relationships with functional/clinical effects, and the possible impact of these compounds on neuroplasticity. A road-map for future research is laid out, outlining clinical studies which will directly address these three questions, principally using combined Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) methods, plus other adjunct techniques. Multimodal (PET/MRI) studies using modern PET techniques such as the 5-HT2A-selective ligand [11 C]Cimbi-36 (and other ligands sensitive to neuroplasticity changes) alongside MRI measures of brain function would provide a 'molecular-functional-clinical bridge' in understanding. Such results would help to resolve some of these questions and provide a firmer foundation for the ongoing development of PT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B Wall
- Invicro, London, UK.
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- Centre for Psychedelic research and Neuropsychopharmacology, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - Rebecca Harding
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rayyan Zafar
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Psychedelic research and Neuropsychopharmacology, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - David J Nutt
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Psychedelic research and Neuropsychopharmacology, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David Erritzoe
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Psychedelic research and Neuropsychopharmacology, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Ertl N, Lawn W, Mokrysz C, Freeman TP, Alnagger N, Borissova A, Fernandez-Vinson N, Lees R, Ofori S, Petrilli K, Trinci K, Viding E, Curran HV, Wall MB. Associations between regular cannabis use and brain resting-state functional connectivity in adolescents and adults. J Psychopharmacol 2023; 37:904-919. [PMID: 37515469 DOI: 10.1177/02698811231189441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM Cannabis use is highly prevalent in adolescents; however, little is known about its effects on adolescent brain function. METHOD Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was used in matched groups of regular cannabis users (N = 70, 35 adolescents: 16-17 years old, 35 adults: 26-29 years old) and non-regular-using controls (N = 70, 35 adolescents/35 adults). Pre-registered analyses examined the connectivity of seven major cortical and sub-cortical brain networks (default mode network, executive control network (ECN), salience network, hippocampal network and three striatal networks) using seed-based analysis methods with cross-sectional comparisons between user groups and age groups. RESULTS The regular cannabis use group (across both age groups), relative to controls, showed localised increases in connectivity only in the ECN analysis. All networks showed localised connectivity differences based on age group, with the adolescents generally showing weaker connectivity than adults, consistent with the developmental effects. Mean connectivity across entire network regions of interest (ROIs) was also significantly decreased in the ECN in adolescents. However, there were no significant interactions found between age group and user group in any of the seed-based or ROI analyses. There were also no associations found between cannabis use frequency and any of the derived connectivity measures. CONCLUSION Regular cannabis use is associated with changes in connectivity of the ECN, which may reflect allostatic or compensatory changes in response to regular cannabis intoxication. However, these associations were not significantly different in adolescents compared to adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Ertl
- Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
| | - Will Lawn
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Addictions, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Claire Mokrysz
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Naji Alnagger
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Anna Borissova
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | | | - Rachel Lees
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Shelan Ofori
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kat Petrilli
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Katie Trinci
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Essi Viding
- Clinical, Educational, and Health Psychology Research Department, University College London, London, UK
| | - H Valerie Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
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Shatalina E, Ashok AH, Wall MB, Nour MM, Myers J, Reis Marques T, Rabiner EA, Howes OD. Reward processing in schizophrenia and its relation to Mu opioid receptor availability and negative symptoms: A [ 11C]-carfentanil PET and fMRI study. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 39:103481. [PMID: 37517175 PMCID: PMC10400918 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reward processing deficits are a core feature of schizophrenia and are thought to underlie negative symptoms. Pre-clinical evidence suggests that opioid neurotransmission is linked to reward processing. However, the contribution of Mu Opioid Receptor (MOR) signalling to the reward processing abnormalities in schizophrenia is unknown. Here, we examined the association between MOR availability and the neural processes underlying reward anticipation in patients with schizophrenia using multimodal neuroimaging. METHOD 37 subjects (18 with Schizophrenia with moderate severity negative symptoms and 19 age and sex-matched healthy controls) underwent a functional MRI scan while performing the Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) task to measure the neural response to reward anticipation. Participants also had a [11C]-carfentanil PET scan to measure MOR availability. RESULTS Reward anticipation was associated with increased neural activation in a widespread network of brain regions including the striatum. Patients with schizophrenia had both significantly lower MOR availability in the striatum as well as striatal hypoactivation during reward anticipation. However, there was no association between MOR availability and striatal neural activity during reward anticipation in either patient or controls (Pearson's Correlation, controls df = 17, r = 0.321, p = 0.18, patients df = 16, r = 0.295, p = 0.24). There was no association between anticipation-related neural activation and negative symptoms (r = -0.120, p = 0.14) or anhedonia severity (social r = -0.365, p = 0.14 physical r = -0.120, p = 0.63). CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest reduced MOR availability in schizophrenia might not underlie striatal hypoactivation during reward anticipation in patients with established illness. Therefore, other mechanisms, such as dopamine dysfunction, warrant further investigation as treatment targets for this aspect of the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Shatalina
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK; Psychiatric Imaging Group, Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK; Department of Psychosis, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, UK
| | - Abhishekh H Ashok
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK; Psychiatric Imaging Group, Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK; Department of Psychosis, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, UK; Department of Radiology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK; Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Invicro, London, UK; Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew M Nour
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (WCHN), University College London, London, UK
| | - Jim Myers
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Tiago Reis Marques
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK; Psychiatric Imaging Group, Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK; Department of Psychosis, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, UK
| | - Eugenii A Rabiner
- Invicro, London, UK; Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Oliver D Howes
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK; Psychiatric Imaging Group, Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK; Department of Psychosis, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, UK.
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8
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Wall MB, Lam C, Ertl N, Kaelen M, Roseman L, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL. Increased low-frequency brain responses to music after psilocybin therapy for depression. J Affect Disord 2023; 333:321-330. [PMID: 37094657 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy with psilocybin is an emerging therapy with great promise for depression, and modern psychedelic therapy (PT) methods incorporate music as a key element. Music is an effective emotional/hedonic stimulus that could also be useful in assessing changes in emotional responsiveness following PT. METHODS Brain responses to music were assessed before and after PT using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and ALFF (Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations) analysis methods. Nineteen patients with treatment-resistant depression underwent two treatment sessions involving administration of psilocybin, with MRI data acquired one week prior and the day after completion of psilocybin dosing sessions. RESULTS Comparison of music-listening and resting-state scans revealed significantly greater ALFF in bilateral superior temporal cortex for the post-treatment music scan, and in the right ventral occipital lobe for the post-treatment resting-state scan. ROI analyses of these clusters revealed a significant effect of treatment in the superior temporal lobe for the music scan only. Voxelwise comparison of treatment effects showed relative increases for the music scan in the bilateral superior temporal lobes and supramarginal gyrus, and relative decreases in the medial frontal lobes for the resting-state scan. ALFF in these music-related clusters was significantly correlated with intensity of subjective effects felt during the dosing sessions. LIMITATIONS Open-label trial. Relatively small sample size. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest an effect of PT on the brain's response to music, implying an elevated responsiveness to music after psilocybin therapy that was related to subjective drug effects felt during dosing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B Wall
- Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, UK; Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, UK.
| | - Cynthia Lam
- Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Natalie Ertl
- Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, UK; Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Mendel Kaelen
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, UK; Psychedelics Division - Neuroscape, University of California San Francisco, USA
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Lawn W, Trinci K, Mokrysz C, Borissova A, Ofori S, Petrilli K, Bloomfield M, Haniff ZR, Hall D, Fernandez‐Vinson N, Wang S, Englund A, Chesney E, Wall MB, Freeman TP, Curran HV. The acute effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol in adults and adolescents: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover experiment. Addiction 2023; 118:1282-1294. [PMID: 36750134 PMCID: PMC10481756 DOI: 10.1111/add.16154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Long-term harms of cannabis may be exacerbated in adolescence, but little is known about the acute effects of cannabis in adolescents. We aimed to (i) compare the acute effects of cannabis in adolescent and adult cannabis users and (ii) determine if cannabidiol (CBD) acutely modulates the effects of delta-9-tetrahydocannabinol (THC). DESIGN Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover experiment. The experiment was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04851392). SETTING Laboratory in London, United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-four adolescents (12 women, 16- to 17-year-olds) and 24 adults (12 women, 26- to 29-year-olds) who used cannabis 0.5-3 days/week and were matched on cannabis use frequency (mean = 1.5 days/week). INTERVENTION We administered three weight-adjusted vaporised cannabis flower preparations: 'THC' (8 mg THC for 75 kg person); 'THC + CBD' (8 mg THC and 24 mg CBD for 75 kg person); and 'PLA' (matched placebo). MEASUREMENTS Primary outcomes were (i) subjective 'feel drug effect'; (ii) verbal episodic memory (delayed prose recall); and (iii) psychotomimetic effect (Psychotomimetic States Inventory). FINDINGS Compared with 'PLA', 'THC' and 'THC + CBD' significantly (P < 0.001) increased 'feel drug effect' (mean difference [MD] = 6.3, 95% CI = 5.3-7.2; MD = 6.8, 95% CI = 6.0-7.7), impaired verbal episodic memory (MD = -2.7, 95% CI = -4.1 to -1.4; MD = -2.9, 95% CI = -4.1 to -1.7) and increased psychotomimetic effects (MD = 7.8, 95% CI = 2.8-12.7; MD = 10.8, 95% CI = 6.2-15.4). There was no evidence that adolescents differed from adults in their responses to cannabis (interaction P ≥ 0.4). Bayesian analyses supported equivalent effects of cannabis in adolescents and adults (Bayes factor [BF01 ] >3). There was no evidence that CBD significantly modulated the acute effects of THC. CONCLUSIONS Adolescent cannabis users are neither more resilient nor more vulnerable than adult cannabis users to the acute psychotomimetic, verbal memory-impairing or subjective effects of cannabis. Furthermore, in adolescents and adults, vaporised cannabidiol does not mitigate the acute harms caused by delta-9-tetrahydocannabinol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will Lawn
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
- Department of Addictions, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Katie Trinci
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Claire Mokrysz
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Anna Borissova
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
- NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research CentreUniversity College HospitalLondonUK
| | - Shelan Ofori
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Kat Petrilli
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of PsychologyUniversity of BathBathUK
| | - Michael Bloomfield
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research CentreUniversity College HospitalLondonUK
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of PsychiatryUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Zarah R. Haniff
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Daniel Hall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Natalia Fernandez‐Vinson
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Simiao Wang
- Department of Addictions, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Amir Englund
- Department of Addictions, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | - Edward Chesney
- Department of Addictions, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | - Matthew B. Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Invicro LondonBurlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane RoadLondonUK
| | - Tom P. Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of PsychologyUniversity of BathBathUK
| | - H. Valerie Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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Mills EG, Ertl N, Wall MB, Thurston L, Yang L, Suladze S, Hunjan T, Phylactou M, Patel B, Muzi B, Ettehad D, Bassett PA, Howard J, Rabiner EA, Bech P, Abbara A, Goldmeier D, Comninos AN, Dhillo WS. Effects of Kisspeptin on Sexual Brain Processing and Penile Tumescence in Men With Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2254313. [PMID: 36735255 PMCID: PMC9898824 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.54313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE The human physiological sexual response is crucial for reward, satisfaction, and reproduction. Disruption of the associated neurophysiological pathways predisposes to low sexual desire; the most prevalent psychological form is hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), which affects 8% of men but currently has no effective pharmacological treatment options. The reproductive neuropeptide kisspeptin offers a putative therapeutic target, owing to emerging understanding of its role in reproductive behavior. OBJECTIVE To determine the physiological, behavioral, neural, and hormonal effects of kisspeptin administration in men with HSDD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This double-blind, 2-way crossover, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial was performed at a single academic research center in the UK. Eligible participants were right-handed heterosexual men with HSDD. Physiological, behavioral, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and hormonal analyses were used to investigate the clinical and mechanistic effects of kisspeptin administration in response to visual sexual stimuli (short and long video tasks). The trial was conducted between January 11 and September 15, 2021, and data analysis was performed between October and November 2021. INTERVENTIONS Participants attended 2 study visits at least 7 days apart, in balanced random order, for intravenous infusion of kisspeptin-54 (1 nmol/kg/h) for 75 minutes or for administration of a rate-matched placebo. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Changes in (1) brain activity on whole-brain analysis, as determined by fMRI blood oxygen level-dependent activity in response to visual sexual stimuli during kisspeptin administration compared with placebo, (2) physiological sexual arousal (penile tumescence), and (3) behavioral measures of sexual desire and arousal. RESULTS Of the 37 men randomized, 32 completed the trial. Participants had a mean (SD) age of 37.9 (8.6) years and a mean (SD) body mass index of 24.9 (5.4). On viewing sexual videos, kisspeptin significantly modulated brain activity in key structures of the sexual-processing network on whole-brain analysis compared with placebo (mean absolute change [Cohen d] = 0.81 [95% CI, 0.41-1.21]; P = .003). Furthermore, improvements in several secondary analyses were observed, including significant increases in penile tumescence in response to sexual stimuli (by up to 56% more than placebo; mean difference = 0.28 units [95% CI, 0.04-0.52 units]; P = .02) and behavioral measures of sexual desire-most notably, increased happiness about sex (mean difference = 0.63 points [95% CI, 0.10-1.15 points]; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Collectively, this randomized clinical trial provides the first evidence to date showing that kisspeptin administration substantially modulates sexual brain processing in men with HSDD, with associated increases in penile tumescence and behavioral measures of sexual desire and arousal. These data suggest that kisspeptin has potential as the first pharmacological treatment for men with low sexual desire. TRIAL REGISTRATION isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN17271094.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edouard G. Mills
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Natalie Ertl
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Invicro LLC, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew B. Wall
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Invicro LLC, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Layla Thurston
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa Yang
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sofiya Suladze
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tia Hunjan
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Phylactou
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Bijal Patel
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Beatrice Muzi
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dena Ettehad
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jonathan Howard
- Invicro LLC, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Paul Bech
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ali Abbara
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Goldmeier
- Jane Wadsworth Sexual Function Clinic, St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander N. Comninos
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Waljit S. Dhillo
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
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11
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Skumlien M, Freeman TP, Hall D, Mokrysz C, Wall MB, Ofori S, Petrilli K, Trinci K, Borissova A, Fernandez-Vinson N, Langley C, Sahakian BJ, Curran HV, Lawn W. The Effects of Acute Cannabis With and Without Cannabidiol on Neural Reward Anticipation in Adults and Adolescents. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging 2023; 8:219-229. [PMID: 36642667 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescents may respond differently to cannabis than adults, yet no previous functional magnetic resonance imaging study has examined acute cannabis effects in this age group. In this study, we investigated the neural correlates of reward anticipation after acute exposure to cannabis in adolescents and adults. METHODS This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover experiment. Forty-seven adolescents (n = 24, 12 females, ages 16-17 years) and adults (n = 23, 11 females, ages 26-29 years) matched on cannabis use frequency (0.5-3 days/week) completed the Monetary Incentive Delay task during functional magnetic resonance imaging after inhaling cannabis with 0.107 mg/kg Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol ("THC") (8 mg THC for a 75-kg person) or with THC plus 0.320 mg/kg cannabidiol ("THC+CBD") (24 mg CBD for a 75-kg person), or placebo cannabis. We investigated reward anticipation activity with whole-brain analyses and region of interest analyses in the right and left ventral striatum, right and left anterior cingulate cortex, and right insula. RESULTS THC reduced anticipation activity compared with placebo in the right (p = .005, d= 0.49) and left (p = .003, d = 0.50) ventral striatum and the right insula (p = .01, d = 0.42). THC+CBD reduced activity compared with placebo in the right ventral striatum (p = .01, d = 0.41) and right insula (p = .002, d = 0.49). There were no differences between "THC" and "THC+CBD" conditions and no significant drug by age group interaction effect, supported by Bayesian analyses. There were no significant effects in the whole-brain analyses. CONCLUSIONS In weekly cannabis users, cannabis suppresses the brain's anticipatory reward response to money, and CBD does not modulate this effect. Furthermore, the adolescent reward circuitry is not differentially sensitive to acute effects of cannabis on reward anticipation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martine Skumlien
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Addiction and Mental Health Group, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Hall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Claire Mokrysz
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Invicro, London, United Kingdom; Faculty of Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Shelan Ofori
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kat Petrilli
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Addiction and Mental Health Group, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Katie Trinci
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Borissova
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Natalia Fernandez-Vinson
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christelle Langley
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Barbara J Sahakian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - H Valerie Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Will Lawn
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Addictions, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
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12
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Skumlien M, Mokrysz C, Freeman TP, Valton V, Wall MB, Bloomfield M, Lees R, Borissova A, Petrilli K, Giugliano M, Clisu D, Langley C, Sahakian BJ, Curran HV, Lawn W. Anhedonia, Apathy, Pleasure, and Effort-Based Decision-Making in Adult and Adolescent Cannabis Users and Controls. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2023; 26:9-19. [PMID: 35999024 PMCID: PMC9850660 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyac056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cannabis use may be linked with anhedonia and apathy. However, previous studies have shown mixed results, and few have examined the association between cannabis use and specific reward sub-processes. Adolescents may be more vulnerable than adults to harmful effects of cannabis. This study investigated (1) the association between non-acute cannabis use and apathy, anhedonia, pleasure, and effort-based decision-making for reward; and (2) whether these relationships were moderated by age group. METHODS We used data from the "CannTeen" study. Participants were 274 adult (26-29 years) and adolescent (16-17 years) cannabis users (1-7 d/wk use in the past 3 months) and gender- and age-matched controls. Anhedonia was measured with the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (n = 274), and apathy was measured with the Apathy Evaluation Scale (n = 215). Effort-based decision-making for reward was measured with the Physical Effort task (n = 139), and subjective wanting and liking of rewards was measured with the novel Real Reward Pleasure task (n = 137). RESULTS Controls had higher levels of anhedonia than cannabis users (F1,258 = 5.35, P = .02, η p2 = .02). There were no other significant effects of user-group and no significant user-group*age-group interactions. Null findings were supported by post hoc Bayesian analyses. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that cannabis use at a frequency of 3 to 4 d/wk is not associated with apathy, effort-based decision-making for reward, reward wanting, or reward liking in adults or adolescents. Cannabis users had lower anhedonia than controls, albeit at a small effect size. These findings are not consistent with the hypothesis that non-acute cannabis use is associated with amotivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martine Skumlien
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | - Claire Mokrysz
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | - Vincent Valton
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Rachel Lees
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Anna Borissova
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Kat Petrilli
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Manuela Giugliano
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | - Denisa Clisu
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | - Christelle Langley
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Barbara J Sahakian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - H Valerie Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | - Will Lawn
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Addictions, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
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13
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Zahid U, Onwordi EC, Hedges EP, Wall MB, Modinos G, Murray RM, Egerton A. Neurofunctional correlates of glutamate and GABA imbalance in psychosis: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:105010. [PMID: 36549375 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.105010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Glutamatergic and GABAergic dysfunction are implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Previous work has shown relationships between glutamate, GABA, and brain activity in healthy volunteers. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate whether these relationships are disrupted in psychosis. Primary outcomes were the relationship between metabolite levels and fMRI BOLD response in psychosis relative to healthy volunteers. 17 case-control studies met inclusion criteria (594 patients and 538 healthy volunteers). Replicated findings included that in psychosis, positive associations between ACC glutamate levels and brain activity are reduced during resting state conditions and increased during cognitive control tasks, and negative relationships between GABA and local activation in the ACC are reduced. There was evidence that antipsychotic medication may alter the relationship between glutamate levels and brain activity. Emerging literature is providing insights into disrupted relationships between neurometabolites and brain activity in psychosis. Future studies determining a link to clinical variables may develop this approach for biomarker applications, including development or targeting novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uzma Zahid
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK.
| | - Ellis C Onwordi
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, UK; Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Camberwell, London, UK
| | - Emily P Hedges
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, UK; Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, UK
| | - Gemma Modinos
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Robin M Murray
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Alice Egerton
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
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14
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Lawn W, Mokrysz C, Lees R, Trinci K, Petrilli K, Skumlien M, Borissova A, Ofori S, Bird C, Jones G, Bloomfield MAP, Das RK, Wall MB, Freeman TP, Curran HV. The CannTeen Study: Cannabis use disorder, depression, anxiety, and psychotic-like symptoms in adolescent and adult cannabis users and age-matched controls. J Psychopharmacol 2022; 36:1350-1361. [PMID: 35772419 PMCID: PMC9716489 DOI: 10.1177/02698811221108956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescence is characterised by psychological and neural development. Cannabis harms may be accentuated during adolescence. We hypothesised that adolescents would be more vulnerable to the associations between cannabis use and mental health and addiction problems than adults. METHOD As part of the 'CannTeen' study, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis. There were 274 participants: split into groups of adolescent users (n = 76; 16-17 years old) and controls (n = 63), and adult users (n = 71; 26-29 years old) and controls (n = 64). Among users, cannabis use frequency ranged from 1 to 7 days/week, while controls had 0-10 lifetime exposures to cannabis. Adolescent and adult cannabis users were matched on cannabis use frequency (mean=4 days/week). We measured Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD), Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory and Psychotomimetic States Inventory-adapted. RESULTS After adjustment for covariates, adolescent users were more likely to have severe CUD than adult users (odd ratio = 3.474, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.501-8.036). Users reported greater psychotic-like symptoms than controls (b = 6.004, 95% CI = 1.211-10.796) and adolescents reported greater psychotic-like symptoms than adults (b = 5.509, 95% CI = 1.070-9.947). User-group was not associated with depression or anxiety. No significant interactions between age-group and user-group were identified. Exploratory analyses suggested that cannabis users with severe CUD had greater depression and anxiety levels than cannabis users without severe CUD. CONCLUSION Adolescent cannabis users are more likely than adult cannabis users to have severe CUD. Adolescent cannabis users have greater psychotic-like symptoms than adult cannabis users and adolescent controls, through an additive effect. There was no evidence of an amplified vulnerability to cannabis-related increases in subclinical depression, anxiety or psychotic-like symptoms in adolescence. However, poorer mental health was associated with the presence of severe CUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will Lawn
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK,Department of Addictions, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK,Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK,Will Lawn, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, Guy’s Campus, King’s College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK.
| | - Claire Mokrysz
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rachel Lees
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Katie Trinci
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kat Petrilli
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Martine Skumlien
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anna Borissova
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK,NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, UK
| | - Shelan Ofori
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Catherine Bird
- Centre for Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Grace Jones
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Michael AP Bloomfield
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK,NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, UK,Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Division of Psychiatry, Mental Health Neuroscience Department, University College London, London, UK,Invicro London, London, UK
| | - Ravi K Das
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK,Invicro London, London, UK
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK,Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - H Valerie Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
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Richie-Halford A, Cieslak M, Ai L, Caffarra S, Covitz S, Franco AR, Karipidis II, Kruper J, Milham M, Avelar-Pereira B, Roy E, Sydnor VJ, Yeatman JD, Abbott NJ, Anderson JAE, Gagana B, Bleile M, Bloomfield PS, Bottom V, Bourque J, Boyle R, Brynildsen JK, Calarco N, Castrellon JJ, Chaku N, Chen B, Chopra S, Coffey EBJ, Colenbier N, Cox DJ, Crippen JE, Crouse JJ, David S, Leener BD, Delap G, Deng ZD, Dugre JR, Eklund A, Ellis K, Ered A, Farmer H, Faskowitz J, Finch JE, Flandin G, Flounders MW, Fonville L, Frandsen SB, Garic D, Garrido-Vásquez P, Gonzalez-Escamilla G, Grogans SE, Grotheer M, Gruskin DC, Guberman GI, Haggerty EB, Hahn Y, Hall EH, Hanson JL, Harel Y, Vieira BH, Hettwer MD, Hobday H, Horien C, Huang F, Huque ZM, James AR, Kahhale I, Kamhout SLH, Keller AS, Khera HS, Kiar G, Kirk PA, Kohl SH, Korenic SA, Korponay C, Kozlowski AK, Kraljevic N, Lazari A, Leavitt MJ, Li Z, Liberati G, Lorenc ES, Lossin AJ, Lotter LD, Lydon-Staley DM, Madan CR, Magielse N, Marusak HA, Mayor J, McGowan AL, Mehta KP, Meisler SL, Michael C, Mitchell ME, Morand-Beaulieu S, Newman BT, Nielsen JA, O’Mara SM, Ojha A, Omary A, Özarslan E, Parkes L, Peterson M, Pines AR, Pisanu C, Rich RR, Sahoo AK, Samara A, Sayed F, Schneider JT, Shaffer LS, Shatalina E, Sims SA, Sinclair S, Song JW, Hogrogian GS, Tamnes CK, Tooley UA, Tripathi V, Turker HB, Valk SL, Wall MB, Walther CK, Wang Y, Wegmann B, Welton T, Wiesman AI, Wiesman AG, Wiesman M, Winters DE, Yuan R, Zacharek SJ, Zajner C, Zakharov I, Zammarchi G, Zhou D, Zimmerman B, Zoner K, Satterthwaite TD, Rokem A. Author Correction: An analysis-ready and quality controlled resource for pediatric brain white-matter research. Sci Data 2022; 9:709. [PMID: 36396653 PMCID: PMC9671885 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01816-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Thurston L, Hunjan T, Mills EG, Wall MB, Ertl N, Phylactou M, Muzi B, Patel B, Alexander EC, Suladze S, Modi M, Eng PC, Bassett PA, Abbara A, Goldmeier D, Comninos AN, Dhillo WS. Melanocortin 4 receptor agonism enhances sexual brain processing in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. J Clin Invest 2022; 132:152341. [PMID: 36189794 PMCID: PMC9525110 DOI: 10.1172/jci152341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is characterized by a persistent deficiency of sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity, causing marked distress and interpersonal difficulty. It is the most prevalent female sexual health problem globally, affecting approximately 10% of women, but has limited treatment options. Melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) agonists have emerged as a promising therapy for women with HSDD, through unknown mechanisms. Studying the pathways involved is crucial for our understanding of normal and abnormal sexual behavior. METHODS Using psychometric, functional neuroimaging, and hormonal analyses, we conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical study to assess the effects of MC4R agonism compared with placebo on sexual brain processing in 31 premenopausal heterosexual women with HSDD. RESULTS MC4R agonism significantly increased sexual desire for up to 24 hours after administration compared with placebo. During functional neuroimaging, MC4R agonism enhanced cerebellar and supplementary motor area activity and deactivated the secondary somatosensory cortex, specifically in response to visual erotic stimuli, compared with placebo. In addition, MC4R agonism enhanced functional connectivity between the amygdala and the insula during visual erotic stimuli compared with placebo. CONCLUSION These data suggest that MC4R agonism enhanced sexual brain processing by reducing self-consciousness, increasing sexual imagery, and sensitizing women with HSDD to erotic stimuli. These findings provide mechanistic insight into the action of MC4R agonism in sexual behavior and are relevant to the ongoing development of HSDD therapies and MC4R agonist development more widely. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04179734. FUNDING This is an investigator-sponsored study funded by AMAG Pharmaceuticals Inc., the Medical Research Council (MRC) (MR/T006242/1), and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (CS-2018-18-ST2-002 and RP-2014-05-001).
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Affiliation(s)
- Layla Thurston
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tia Hunjan
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Edouard G Mills
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,Invicro, a Konica Minolta Company, London, United Kingdom
| | - Natalie Ertl
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,Invicro, a Konica Minolta Company, London, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Phylactou
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Beatrice Muzi
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Bijal Patel
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Emma C Alexander
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sofiya Suladze
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Manish Modi
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pei C Eng
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Ali Abbara
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Goldmeier
- Jane Wadsworth Sexual Function Clinic, St. Mary's Hospital and
| | - Alexander N Comninos
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Waljit S Dhillo
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
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17
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Thurston L, Hunjan T, Ertl N, Wall MB, Mills EG, Suladze S, Patel B, Alexander EC, Muzi B, Bassett PA, Rabiner EA, Bech P, Goldmeier D, Abbara A, Comninos AN, Dhillo WS. Effects of Kisspeptin Administration in Women With Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open 2022; 5:e2236131. [PMID: 36287566 PMCID: PMC9606846 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.36131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Despite being the most common female sexual health complaint worldwide, current treatment options for hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) are limited in their safety and effectiveness. The hormone kisspeptin is a key endogenous activator of the reproductive hormonal axis with additional emerging roles in sexual and emotional behavior; however, its effects in women with HSDD are unknown. OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that kisspeptin enhances sexual and attraction brain processing in women with HSDD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This randomized clinical trial was double-masked and placebo controlled with a 2-way crossover. The trial was conducted in a university research setting in the UK from October 2020 to April 2021. Eligible participants were premenopausal women with HSDD. Functional neuroimaging, psychometric, and hormonal analyses were employed to investigate the effects of kisspeptin administration on brain processing, in response to erotic stimuli (erotic videos) and facial attraction (face images of varying attractiveness). Data were analyzed from May to December 2021. INTERVENTIONS A 75-minute intravenous infusion of kisspeptin-54 (1 nmol/kg/h) vs equivalent-rate placebo infusion. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Blood oxygen level-dependent responses across the whole brain and regions of interest during kisspeptin vs placebo administration in response to erotic and facial attraction stimuli. RESULTS Of the 40 participants who were randomized, 32 women completed both kisspeptin and placebo visits, with a mean (SE) age of 29.2 (1.2) years. Kisspeptin administration resulted in modulations in sexual and facial attraction brain processing (deactivation of the left inferior frontal gyrus: Z max, 3.76; P = .01; activation of the right postcentral and supramarginal gyrus: Z max, 3.73; P < .001; deactivation of the right temporoparietal junction: Z max 4.08; P = .02). Furthermore, positive correlations were observed between kisspeptin-enhanced hippocampal activity in response to erotic videos, and baseline distress relating to sexual function (r = 0.469; P = .007). Kisspeptin's enhancement of posterior cingulate cortex activity in response to attractive male faces also correlated with reduced sexual aversion, providing additional functional significance (r = 0.476, P = .005). Kisspeptin was well-tolerated with no reported adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These findings lay the foundations for clinical applications for kisspeptin in women with HSDD. TRIAL REGISTRATION ISRCTN trial registry identifier: ISRCTN17271094.
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Affiliation(s)
- Layla Thurston
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tia Hunjan
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Natalie Ertl
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Invicro, a Konica Minolta company, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Invicro, a Konica Minolta company, London, United Kingdom
| | - Edouard G Mills
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sofiya Suladze
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Bjial Patel
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Emma C Alexander
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Beatrice Muzi
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Paul Bech
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Goldmeier
- Department of Sexual Medicine, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ali Abbara
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander N Comninos
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Waljit S Dhillo
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
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18
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Skumlien M, Mokrysz C, Freeman TP, Wall MB, Bloomfield M, Lees R, Borissova A, Petrilli K, Carson J, Coughlan T, Ofori S, Langley C, Sahakian BJ, Curran HV, Lawn W. Neural responses to reward anticipation and feedback in adult and adolescent cannabis users and controls. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1976-1983. [PMID: 35388175 PMCID: PMC9485226 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01316-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Chronic use of drugs may alter the brain's reward system, though the extant literature concerning long-term cannabis use and neural correlates of reward processing has shown mixed results. Adolescents may be more vulnerable to the adverse effects of cannabis than adults; however, this has not been investigated for reward processing. As part of the 'CannTeen' study, in the largest functional magnetic resonance imaging study of reward processing and cannabis use to date, we investigated reward anticipation and feedback in 125 adult (26-29 years) and adolescent (16-17 years) cannabis users (1-7 days/week cannabis use) and gender- and age-matched controls, using the Monetary Incentive Delay task. Blood-oxygen-level-dependent responses were examined using region of interest (ROI) analyses in the bilateral ventral striatum for reward anticipation and right ventral striatum and left ventromedial prefrontal cortex for feedback, and exploratory whole-brain analyses. Results showed no User-Group or User-Group × Age-Group effects during reward anticipation or feedback in pre-defined ROIs. These null findings were supported by post hoc Bayesian analyses. However, in the whole-brain analysis, cannabis users had greater feedback activity in the prefrontal and inferior parietal cortex compared to controls. In conclusion, cannabis users and controls had similar neural responses during reward anticipation and in hypothesised reward-related regions during reward feedback. The whole-brain analysis revealed tentative evidence of greater fronto-parietal activity in cannabis users during feedback. Adolescents showed no increased vulnerability compared with adults. Overall, reward anticipation and feedback processing appear spared in adolescent and adult cannabis users, but future longitudinal studies are needed to corroborate this.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martine Skumlien
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Claire Mokrysz
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
- Invicro, London, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Rachel Lees
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Anna Borissova
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kat Petrilli
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - James Carson
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | - Tiernan Coughlan
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | - Shelan Ofori
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | - Christelle Langley
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Barbara J Sahakian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - H Valerie Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | - Will Lawn
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, London, UK
- National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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19
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Borissova A, Soni S, Aston ER, Lees R, Petrilli K, Wall MB, Bloomfield MAP, Mertzani E, Paksina A, Freeman TP, Mokrysz C, Lawn W, Curran HV. Age differences in the behavioural economics of cannabis use: Do adolescents and adults differ on demand for cannabis and discounting of future reward? Drug Alcohol Depend 2022; 238:109531. [PMID: 35809475 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescence is a period of psychological and neural development in which harms associated with cannabis use may be heightened. We hypothesised that adolescent who use cannabis (adolescentsWUC) would have steeper delay discounting (preference for immediate over future rewards) and greater demand (relative valuation) for cannabis than adults who use cannabis (adultsWUC). METHODS This cross-sectional study, part of the 'CannTeen' project, compared adultsWUC (n = 71, 26-29 years old) and adolescentsWUC (n = 76, 16-17 years old), and gender- and age-matched adolescent (n = 63) and adult (n = 64) controls. AdolescentsWUC and adultsWUC used cannabis 1-7 days/week and were matched on cannabis use frequency (4 days/week). The Monetary Choice Questionnaire assessed delay discounting. A modified Marijuana Purchase Task (MPT) assessed cannabis demand in adolescentsWUC and adultsWUC. The MPT yielded five indices: intensity (amount of cannabis used at zero cost), Omax (total peak expenditure), Pmax (price at peak expenditure), breakpoint (cost at which cannabis demand is suppressed to zero) and elasticity (degree to which cannabis use decreases with increasing price). Analyses were adjusted for covariates of gender, socioeconomic status, other illicit drug use. RESULTS Both adolescentsWUC and adultsWUC had steeper delay discounting than controls (F, (1,254)= 9.13, p = 0.003, ηp2= 0.04), with no significant age effect or interaction. AdolescentsWUC showed higher intensity (F, (1,138)= 9.76, p = 0.002, ηp2= 0.07) and lower elasticity (F, (1,138)= 15.25, p < 0.001, ηp2= 0.10) than adultsWUC. There were no significant differences in Pmax, Omax or breakpoint. CONCLUSION Individuals who use cannabis prefer immediate rewards more than controls. AdolescentsWUC, compared to adultsWUC, may be in a high-risk category with diminished sensitivity to cannabis price increases and a greater consumption of cannabis when it is free.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Borissova
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
| | - S Soni
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - E R Aston
- Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - R Lees
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - K Petrilli
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - M B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Invicro London, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, United Kingdom
| | - M A P Bloomfield
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom; NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, United Kingdom; Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Psychiatric Imaging Group, Medical Research Council London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - E Mertzani
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - A Paksina
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - T P Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - C Mokrysz
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - W Lawn
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom; National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - H V Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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20
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Lawn W, Fernandez-Vinson N, Mokrysz C, Hogg G, Lees R, Trinci K, Petrilli K, Borissova A, Ofori S, Waters S, Michór P, Wall MB, Freeman TP, Curran HV. Correction to: The CannTeen study: verbal episodic memory, spatial working memory, and response inhibition in adolescent and adult cannabis users and age‑matched controls. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:2371. [PMID: 35648202 PMCID: PMC9205827 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06169-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- W Lawn
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK. .,Department of Addictions, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. .,Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - N Fernandez-Vinson
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK.,Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - C Mokrysz
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - G Hogg
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - R Lees
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - K Trinci
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - K Petrilli
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - A Borissova
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, UK
| | - S Ofori
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - S Waters
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - P Michór
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - M B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK.,Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, Burlington Danes Building, Du Cane Road, London, UK
| | - T P Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK.,Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - H V Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
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Wall MB, Freeman TP, Hindocha C, Demetriou L, Ertl N, Freeman AM, Jones AP, Lawn W, Pope R, Mokrysz C, Solomons D, Statton B, Walker HR, Yamamori Y, Yang Z, Yim JL, Nutt DJ, Howes OD, Curran HV, Bloomfield MA. Individual and combined effects of cannabidiol and Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol on striato-cortical connectivity in the human brain. J Psychopharmacol 2022; 36:732-744. [PMID: 35596578 PMCID: PMC9150138 DOI: 10.1177/02698811221092506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the two major constituents of cannabis with contrasting mechanisms of action. THC is the major psychoactive, addiction-promoting, and psychotomimetic compound, while CBD may have opposite effects. The brain effects of these drugs alone and in combination are poorly understood. In particular, the striatum is implicated in the pathophysiology of several psychiatric disorders, but it is unclear how THC and CBD influence striato-cortical connectivity. AIMS To examine effects of THC, CBD, and THC + CBD on functional connectivity of striatal sub-divisions (associative, limbic and sensorimotor). METHOD Resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) was used across two within-subjects, placebo-controlled, double-blind studies, with a unified analysis approach. RESULTS Study 1 (N = 17; inhaled cannabis containing 8 mg THC, 8 mg THC + 10 mg CBD or placebo) showed strong disruptive effects of both THC and THC + CBD on connectivity in the associative and sensorimotor networks, but a specific effect of THC in the limbic striatum network which was not present in the THC + CBD condition. In Study 2 (N = 23, oral 600 mg CBD, placebo), CBD increased connectivity in the associative network, but produced only relatively minor disruptions in the limbic and sensorimotor networks. OUTCOMES THC strongly disrupts striato-cortical networks, but this effect is mitigated by co-administration of CBD in the limbic striatum network. Oral CBD administered has a more complex effect profile of relative increases and decreases in connectivity. The insula emerges as a key region affected by cannabinoid-induced changes in functional connectivity, with potential implications for understanding cannabis-related disorders, and the development of cannabinoid therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B Wall
- Invicro London, London, UK.,Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK.,Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK.,Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Chandni Hindocha
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lysia Demetriou
- Invicro London, London, UK.,Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.,Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Natalie Ertl
- Invicro London, London, UK.,Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Abigail M Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Will Lawn
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rebecca Pope
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Claire Mokrysz
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Ben Statton
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
| | - Hannah R Walker
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Yumeya Yamamori
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Zixu Yang
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Jocelyn Ll Yim
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Oliver D Howes
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK.,Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - H Valerie Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
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22
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Lawn W, Fernandez-Vinson N, Mokrysz C, Hogg G, Lees R, Trinci K, Petrilli K, Borissova A, Ofori S, Waters S, Michór P, Wall MB, Freeman TP, Curran HV. The CannTeen study: verbal episodic memory, spatial working memory, and response inhibition in adolescent and adult cannabis users and age-matched controls. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:1629-1641. [PMID: 35486121 PMCID: PMC9110435 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06143-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preclinical and human studies suggest that adolescent cannabis use may be associated with worse cognitive outcomes than adult cannabis use. We investigated the associations between chronic cannabis use and cognitive function in adolescent and adult cannabis users and controls. We hypothesised user-status would be negatively associated with cognitive function and this relationship would be stronger in adolescents than adults. METHODS As part of the 'CannTeen' project, this cross-sectional study assessed cognitive performance in adolescent cannabis users (n = 76; 16-17-year-olds), adolescent controls (n = 63), adult cannabis users (n = 71; 26-29-year-olds) and adult controls (n = 64). Users used cannabis 1-7 days/week. Adolescent and adult cannabis users were matched on cannabis use frequency (4 days/week) and time since last use (2.5 days). Verbal episodic memory (VEM) was assessed using the prose recall task, spatial working memory (SWM) was assessed using the spatial n-back task, and response inhibition was assessed with the stop-signal task. Primary outcome variables were: delayed recall, 3-back discriminability, and stop signal reaction time, respectively. RESULTS Users had worse VEM than controls (F(1,268) = 7.423, p = 0.007). There were no significant differences between user-groups on SWM or response inhibition. Null differences were supported by Bayesian analyses. No significant interactions between age-group and user-group were found for VEM, SWM, or response inhibition. CONCLUSIONS Consistent with previous research, there was an association between chronic cannabis use and poorer VEM, but chronic cannabis use was not associated with SWM or response inhibition. We did not find evidence for heightened adolescent vulnerability to cannabis-related cognitive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Lawn
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK.
- Department of Addictions, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - N Fernandez-Vinson
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - C Mokrysz
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - G Hogg
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - R Lees
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - K Trinci
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - K Petrilli
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - A Borissova
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, UK
| | - S Ofori
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - S Waters
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - P Michór
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - M B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, Burlington Danes Building, Du Cane Road, London, UK
| | - T P Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - H V Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
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23
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Daws RE, Timmermann C, Giribaldi B, Sexton JD, Wall MB, Erritzoe D, Roseman L, Nutt D, Carhart-Harris R. Increased global integration in the brain after psilocybin therapy for depression. Nat Med 2022; 28:844-851. [DOI: 10.1038/s41591-022-01744-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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24
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Mokrysz C, Shaban NDC, Freeman TP, Lawn W, Pope RA, Hindocha C, Freeman A, Wall MB, Bloomfield MAP, Morgan CJA, Nutt DJ, Curran HV. Acute effects of cannabis on speech illusions and psychotic-like symptoms: two studies testing the moderating effects of cannabidiol and adolescence. Psychol Med 2021; 51:2134-2142. [PMID: 32340632 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720001038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acute cannabis administration can produce transient psychotic-like effects in healthy individuals. However, the mechanisms through which this occurs and which factors predict vulnerability remain unclear. We investigate whether cannabis inhalation leads to psychotic-like symptoms and speech illusion; and whether cannabidiol (CBD) blunts such effects (study 1) and adolescence heightens such effects (study 2). METHODS Two double-blind placebo-controlled studies, assessing speech illusion in a white noise task, and psychotic-like symptoms on the Psychotomimetic States Inventory (PSI). Study 1 compared effects of Cann-CBD (cannabis containing Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and negligible levels of CBD) with Cann+CBD (cannabis containing THC and CBD) in 17 adults. Study 2 compared effects of Cann-CBD in 20 adolescents and 20 adults. All participants were healthy individuals who currently used cannabis. RESULTS In study 1, relative to placebo, both Cann-CBD and Cann+CBD increased PSI scores but not speech illusion. No differences between Cann-CBD and Cann+CBD emerged. In study 2, relative to placebo, Cann-CBD increased PSI scores and incidence of speech illusion, with the odds of experiencing speech illusion 3.1 (95% CIs 1.3-7.2) times higher after Cann-CBD. No age group differences were found for speech illusion, but adults showed heightened effects on the PSI. CONCLUSIONS Inhalation of cannabis reliably increases psychotic-like symptoms in healthy cannabis users and may increase the incidence of speech illusion. CBD did not influence psychotic-like effects of cannabis. Adolescents may be less vulnerable to acute psychotic-like effects of cannabis than adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Mokrysz
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Tom P Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
- National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Will Lawn
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rebecca A Pope
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Chandni Hindocha
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Abigail Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Invicro, Burlington Danes Building, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, UK
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Michael A P Bloomfield
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, Medical Research Council Clinical Sciences Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
- Division of Psychiatry, Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, Maple House, London, UK
- NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Celia J A Morgan
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Psychopharmacology and Addiction Research Centre, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Division of Experimental Medicine, Imperial College London, Burlington Danes Building, Du Cane Road, London, UK
| | - H Valerie Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
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25
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Salem V, Demetriou L, Behary P, Alexiadou K, Scholtz S, Tharakan G, Miras AD, Purkayastha S, Ahmed AR, Bloom SR, Wall MB, Dhillo WS, Tan TMM. Weight Loss by Low-Calorie Diet Versus Gastric Bypass Surgery in People With Diabetes Results in Divergent Brain Activation Patterns: A Functional MRI Study. Diabetes Care 2021; 44:1842-1851. [PMID: 34158363 PMCID: PMC8385466 DOI: 10.2337/dc20-2641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Weight loss achieved with very-low-calorie diets (VLCDs) can produce remission of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but weight regain very often occurs with reintroduction of higher calorie intakes. In contrast, bariatric surgery produces clinically significant and durable weight loss, with diabetes remission that translates into reductions in mortality. We hypothesized that in patients living with obesity and prediabetes/T2D, longitudinal changes in brain activity in response to food cues as measured using functional MRI would explain this difference. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Sixteen participants underwent gastric bypass surgery, and 19 matched participants undertook a VLCD (meal replacement) for 4 weeks. Brain responses to food cues and resting-state functional connectivity were assessed with functional MRI pre- and postintervention and compared across groups. RESULTS We show that Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) results in three divergent brain responses compared with VLCD-induced weight loss: 1) VLCD resulted in increased brain reward center food cue responsiveness, whereas in RYGB, this was reduced; 2) VLCD resulted in higher neural activation of cognitive control regions in response to food cues associated with exercising increased cognitive restraint over eating, whereas RYGB did not; and 3) a homeostatic appetitive system (centered on the hypothalamus) is better engaged following RYGB-induced weight loss than VLCD. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these findings point to divergent brain responses to different methods of weight loss in patients with diabetes, which may explain weight regain after a short-term VLCD in contrast to enduring weight loss after RYGB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Salem
- Department of Digestion, Metabolism and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | | | - Preeshila Behary
- Department of Digestion, Metabolism and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Kleopatra Alexiadou
- Department of Digestion, Metabolism and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Samantha Scholtz
- West London Mental Health National Health Service Trust, London, U.K
| | - George Tharakan
- Department of Digestion, Metabolism and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Alexander D Miras
- Department of Digestion, Metabolism and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Sanjay Purkayastha
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College Healthcare National Health Service Trust, London, U.K
| | - Ahmed R Ahmed
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College Healthcare National Health Service Trust, London, U.K
| | - Stephen R Bloom
- Department of Digestion, Metabolism and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Department of Digestion, Metabolism and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London, U.K.,Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, U.K
| | - Waljit S Dhillo
- Department of Digestion, Metabolism and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Tricia M-M Tan
- Department of Digestion, Metabolism and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London, U.K.
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26
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Comninos AN, Yang L, O’Callaghan J, Mills EG, Wall MB, Demetriou L, Wing VC, Thurston L, Owen BM, Abbara A, Rabiner EA, Dhillo WS. Kisspeptin modulates gamma-aminobutyric acid levels in the human brain. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 129:105244. [PMID: 33975151 PMCID: PMC8243259 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a key inhibitory neurotransmitter that has been implicated in the aetiology of common mood and behavioural disorders. By employing proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in man, we demonstrate that administration of the reproductive neuropeptide, kisspeptin, robustly decreases GABA levels in the limbic system of the human brain; specifically the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). This finding defines a novel kisspeptin-activated GABA pathway in man, and provides important mechanistic insights into the mood and behaviour-altering effects of kisspeptin seen in rodents and humans. In addition, this work has therapeutic implications as it identifies GABA-signalling as a potential target for the escalating development of kisspeptin-based therapies for common reproductive disorders of body and mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander N. Comninos
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Imperial College London, UK,Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Lisa Yang
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Imperial College London, UK
| | | | - Edouard G. Mills
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Imperial College London, UK
| | | | - Lysia Demetriou
- Invicro, London, UK,Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Victoria C. Wing
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Layla Thurston
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Bryn M. Owen
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Ali Abbara
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Imperial College London, UK
| | | | - Waljit S. Dhillo
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Imperial College London, UK,Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK,Correspondence to: Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Imperial College London, 6th Floor Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London W12 0NN, UK.
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27
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Hannaway N, Lao-Kaim NP, Martín-Bastida A, Roussakis AA, Howard J, Wall MB, Loane C, Barker RA, Piccini P. Longitudinal changes in movement-related functional MRI activity in Parkinson's disease patients. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2021; 87:61-69. [PMID: 33975081 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2021.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Functional brain imaging has shown alterations in the basal ganglia, cortex and cerebellum in Parkinson's disease patients. However, few functional imaging studies have tested how these changes evolve over time. Our study aimed to test the longitudinal progression of movement-related functional activity in Parkinson's disease patients. METHODS At baseline, 48 Parkinson's disease patients and 16 healthy controls underwent structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging during a joystick motor task. Patients had repeated imaging after 18-months (n = 42) and 36-months (n = 32). T-tests compared functional responses between Parkinson's disease patients and controls, and linear mixed effects models examined longitudinal differences within Parkinson's disease. Correlations of motor-activity with bradykinesia, rigidity and tremor were undertaken. All contrasts used whole-brain analyses, thresholded at Z > 3.1 with a cluster-wise P < 0.05. RESULTS Baseline activation was significantly greater in patients than controls across contralateral parietal and occipital regions, ipsilateral precentral gyrus and thalamus. Longitudinally, patients showed significant increases in cerebellar activity at successive visits following baseline. Task-related activity also increased in the contralateral motor, parietal and temporal areas at 36 months compared to baseline, however this was reduced when controlling for motor task performance. CONCLUSION We have shown that there are changes over time in the blood-activation level dependent response of patients with Parkinson's disease undertaking a simple motor task. These changes are observed primarily in the ipsilateral cerebellum and may be compensatory in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Hannaway
- Neurology Imaging Unit, Division of Neurology, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, United Kingdom.
| | - Nicholas P Lao-Kaim
- Neurology Imaging Unit, Division of Neurology, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, United Kingdom.
| | - Antonio Martín-Bastida
- Neurology Imaging Unit, Division of Neurology, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, United Kingdom; Neurology Department, Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, 31008, Spain.
| | - Andreas-Antonios Roussakis
- Neurology Imaging Unit, Division of Neurology, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, United Kingdom.
| | | | | | - Clare Loane
- Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, King's College London, London, SE5 9RT, United Kingdom.
| | - Roger A Barker
- John Van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0PY, United Kingdom and WT-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | - Paola Piccini
- Neurology Imaging Unit, Division of Neurology, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, United Kingdom.
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28
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Borissova A, Ferguson B, Wall MB, Morgan CJA, Carhart-Harris RL, Bolstridge M, Bloomfield MAP, Williams TM, Feilding A, Murphy K, Tyacke RJ, Erritzoe D, Stewart L, Wolff K, Nutt D, Curran HV, Lawn W. Acute effects of MDMA on trust, cooperative behaviour and empathy: A double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment. J Psychopharmacol 2021; 35:547-555. [PMID: 32538252 PMCID: PMC8155732 DOI: 10.1177/0269881120926673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is being actively researched as an adjunct to psychotherapy. It may be beneficial to trust, empathy and cooperative behaviour due to its acute prosocial effects. AIM To test (a) the acute effects of MDMA on measures of empathy, trust and cooperative behaviour, and (b) subacute changes in mood three days after MDMA administration. METHODS Twenty-five participants (n=7 female), participated in this double-blind, repeated-measures, placebo-controlled experiment. Participants attended two acute sessions, one week apart. Each acute session was followed by a subacute session three days later. Participants received placebo (100 mg ascorbic acid) during one acute session, and MDMA (100 mg MDMA-HCl) at the other, with order counterbalanced. Participants completed the following tasks assessing prosocial behaviour: a trust investment task, a trustworthy face rating task, an empathic stories task, a public project game, a dictator game and an ultimatum game. Participants reported subjective effects. Blood was taken pre-drug, 2 and 4 hours post-drug, and tested for plasma MDMA levels. RESULTS MDMA acutely increased self-reported 'closeness to others' and 'euphoria' and increased plasma concentrations of MDMA. MDMA did not significantly change task-based empathy, trust or cooperative behaviour. Using Bayesian analyses, we found evidence that MDMA and placebo did not differ in their effects on empathy and cooperative behaviour. MDMA did not significantly change subacute mood and this was supported by our Bayesian analyses. CONCLUSION Despite augmentation in plasma MDMA levels and subjective drug effects, we found no increase in prosocial behaviour in a laboratory setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Borissova
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit,
UCL, London, UK,NIHR University College London
Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London,
UK,Anna Borissova, UCL Clinical
Psychopharmacology Unit, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 6HB, UK
| | - Bart Ferguson
- UMC Utrecht Brain Center,
University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit,
UCL, London, UK,Invicro London, London, UK,Neuropsychopharmacology Unit,
Centre for Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Celia JA Morgan
- Psychopharmacology and Addiction
Research Centre, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit,
Centre for Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK,Centre for Psychedelic Research,
Department of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Mark Bolstridge
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit,
Centre for Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Michael AP Bloomfield
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit,
UCL, London, UK,NIHR University College London
Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London,
UK,Translational Psychiatry Research
Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of
Psychiatry University College London, London, UK,The Traumatic Stress Clinic, St
Pancras Hospital, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, London,
UK,National Hospital for Neurology
and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Tim M Williams
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit,
Centre for Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Kevin Murphy
- Cardiff University Brain
Research Imaging Centre, Cardiff, UK
| | - Robin J Tyacke
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit,
Centre for Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David Erritzoe
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit,
Centre for Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK,Centre for Psychedelic Research,
Department of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Kim Wolff
- School of Biomedical Sciences,
King’s College London, London, UK
| | - David Nutt
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit,
Centre for Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Will Lawn
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit,
UCL, London, UK
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29
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Yang L, Demetriou L, Wall MB, Mills EG, Wing VC, Thurston L, Schaufelberger CN, Owen BM, Abbara A, Rabiner EA, Comninos AN, Dhillo WS. The Effects of Kisspeptin on Brain Response to Food Images and Psychometric Parameters of Appetite in Healthy Men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2021; 106:e1837-e1848. [PMID: 33075807 PMCID: PMC7993584 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT The hormone kisspeptin has crucial and well-characterized roles in reproduction. Emerging data from animal models also suggest that kisspeptin has important metabolic effects including modulation of food intake. However, to date there have been no studies exploring the effects of kisspeptin on brain responses to food stimuli in humans. OBJECTIVE This work aims to investigate the effects of kisspeptin administration on brain responses to visual food stimuli and psychometric parameters of appetite, in healthy men. DESIGN A double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study was conducted. PARTICIPANTS Participants included 27 healthy, right-handed, eugonadal men (mean ± SEM: age 26.5 ± 1.1 years; body mass index 23.9 ± 0.4 kg/m2). INTERVENTION Participants received an intravenous infusion of 1 nmol/kg/h of kisspeptin or rate-matched vehicle over 75 minutes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Measurements included change in brain activity on functional magnetic resonance imaging in response to visual food stimuli and change in psychometric parameters of appetite, during kisspeptin administration compared to vehicle. RESULTS Kisspeptin administration at a bioactive dose did not affect brain responses to visual food stimuli or psychometric parameters of appetite compared to vehicle. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study in humans investigating the effects of kisspeptin on brain regions regulating appetite and demonstrates that peripheral administration of kisspeptin does not alter brain responses to visual food stimuli or psychometric parameters of appetite in healthy men. These data provide key translational insights to further our understanding of the interaction between reproduction and metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Yang
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Edouard G Mills
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Victoria C Wing
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Layla Thurston
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Bryn M Owen
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Ali Abbara
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Alexander N Comninos
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Waljit S Dhillo
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
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30
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Lawn W, Hill J, Hindocha C, Yim J, Yamamori Y, Jones G, Walker H, Green SF, Wall MB, Howes OD, Curran HV, Freeman TP, Bloomfield MAP. The acute effects of cannabidiol on the neural correlates of reward anticipation and feedback in healthy volunteers. J Psychopharmacol 2020; 34:969-980. [PMID: 32755273 PMCID: PMC7745615 DOI: 10.1177/0269881120944148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cannabidiol has potential therapeutic benefits for people with psychiatric disorders characterised by reward function impairment. There is existing evidence that cannabidiol may influence some aspects of reward processing. However, it is unknown whether cannabidiol acutely affects brain function underpinning reward anticipation and feedback. HYPOTHESES We predicted that cannabidiol would augment brain activity associated with reward anticipation and feedback. METHODS We administered a single 600 mg oral dose of cannabidiol and matched placebo to 23 healthy participants in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, repeated-measures design. We employed the monetary incentive delay task during functional magnetic resonance imaging to assay the neural correlates of reward anticipation and feedback. We conducted whole brain analyses and region-of-interest analyses in pre-specified reward-related brain regions. RESULTS The monetary incentive delay task elicited expected brain activity during reward anticipation and feedback, including in the insula, caudate, nucleus accumbens, anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortex. However, across the whole brain, we did not find any evidence that cannabidiol altered reward-related brain activity. Moreover, our Bayesian analyses showed that activity in our regions-of-interest was similar following cannabidiol and placebo. Additionally, our behavioural measures of motivation for reward did not show a significant difference between cannabidiol and placebo. DISCUSSION Cannabidiol did not acutely affect the neural correlates of reward anticipation and feedback in healthy participants. Future research should explore the effects of cannabidiol on different components of reward processing, employ different doses and administration regimens, and test its reward-related effects in people with psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will Lawn
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - James Hill
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
| | - Chandni Hindocha
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
- NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, UK
| | - Jocelyn Yim
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
| | - Yumeya Yamamori
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Gus Jones
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
| | - Hannah Walker
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sebastian F Green
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
| | - Oliver D Howes
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - H Valerie Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, UK
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), University of Bath, Bath, UK
- National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK
| | - Michael AP Bloomfield
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
- NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, Imperial College London, London, UK
- The Traumatic Stress Clinic, St Pancras Hospital, London, UK
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
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Botvinik-Nezer R, Holzmeister F, Camerer CF, Dreber A, Huber J, Johannesson M, Kirchler M, Iwanir R, Mumford JA, Adcock RA, Avesani P, Baczkowski BM, Bajracharya A, Bakst L, Ball S, Barilari M, Bault N, Beaton D, Beitner J, Benoit RG, Berkers RMWJ, Bhanji JP, Biswal BB, Bobadilla-Suarez S, Bortolini T, Bottenhorn KL, Bowring A, Braem S, Brooks HR, Brudner EG, Calderon CB, Camilleri JA, Castrellon JJ, Cecchetti L, Cieslik EC, Cole ZJ, Collignon O, Cox RW, Cunningham WA, Czoschke S, Dadi K, Davis CP, Luca AD, Delgado MR, Demetriou L, Dennison JB, Di X, Dickie EW, Dobryakova E, Donnat CL, Dukart J, Duncan NW, Durnez J, Eed A, Eickhoff SB, Erhart A, Fontanesi L, Fricke GM, Fu S, Galván A, Gau R, Genon S, Glatard T, Glerean E, Goeman JJ, Golowin SAE, González-García C, Gorgolewski KJ, Grady CL, Green MA, Guassi Moreira JF, Guest O, Hakimi S, Hamilton JP, Hancock R, Handjaras G, Harry BB, Hawco C, Herholz P, Herman G, Heunis S, Hoffstaedter F, Hogeveen J, Holmes S, Hu CP, Huettel SA, Hughes ME, Iacovella V, Iordan AD, Isager PM, Isik AI, Jahn A, Johnson MR, Johnstone T, Joseph MJE, Juliano AC, Kable JW, Kassinopoulos M, Koba C, Kong XZ, Koscik TR, Kucukboyaci NE, Kuhl BA, Kupek S, Laird AR, Lamm C, Langner R, Lauharatanahirun N, Lee H, Lee S, Leemans A, Leo A, Lesage E, Li F, Li MYC, Lim PC, Lintz EN, Liphardt SW, Losecaat Vermeer AB, Love BC, Mack ML, Malpica N, Marins T, Maumet C, McDonald K, McGuire JT, Melero H, Méndez Leal AS, Meyer B, Meyer KN, Mihai G, Mitsis GD, Moll J, Nielson DM, Nilsonne G, Notter MP, Olivetti E, Onicas AI, Papale P, Patil KR, Peelle JE, Pérez A, Pischedda D, Poline JB, Prystauka Y, Ray S, Reuter-Lorenz PA, Reynolds RC, Ricciardi E, Rieck JR, Rodriguez-Thompson AM, Romyn A, Salo T, Samanez-Larkin GR, Sanz-Morales E, Schlichting ML, Schultz DH, Shen Q, Sheridan MA, Silvers JA, Skagerlund K, Smith A, Smith DV, Sokol-Hessner P, Steinkamp SR, Tashjian SM, Thirion B, Thorp JN, Tinghög G, Tisdall L, Tompson SH, Toro-Serey C, Torre Tresols JJ, Tozzi L, Truong V, Turella L, van 't Veer AE, Verguts T, Vettel JM, Vijayarajah S, Vo K, Wall MB, Weeda WD, Weis S, White DJ, Wisniewski D, Xifra-Porxas A, Yearling EA, Yoon S, Yuan R, Yuen KSL, Zhang L, Zhang X, Zosky JE, Nichols TE, Poldrack RA, Schonberg T. Variability in the analysis of a single neuroimaging dataset by many teams. Nature 2020; 582:84-88. [PMID: 32483374 PMCID: PMC7771346 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2314-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 423] [Impact Index Per Article: 105.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Data analysis workflows in many scientific domains have become increasingly complex and flexible. Here we assess the effect of this flexibility on the results of functional magnetic resonance imaging by asking 70 independent teams to analyse the same dataset, testing the same 9 ex-ante hypotheses1. The flexibility of analytical approaches is exemplified by the fact that no two teams chose identical workflows to analyse the data. This flexibility resulted in sizeable variation in the results of hypothesis tests, even for teams whose statistical maps were highly correlated at intermediate stages of the analysis pipeline. Variation in reported results was related to several aspects of analysis methodology. Notably, a meta-analytical approach that aggregated information across teams yielded a significant consensus in activated regions. Furthermore, prediction markets of researchers in the field revealed an overestimation of the likelihood of significant findings, even by researchers with direct knowledge of the dataset2-5. Our findings show that analytical flexibility can have substantial effects on scientific conclusions, and identify factors that may be related to variability in the analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging. The results emphasize the importance of validating and sharing complex analysis workflows, and demonstrate the need for performing and reporting multiple analyses of the same data. Potential approaches that could be used to mitigate issues related to analytical variability are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rotem Botvinik-Nezer
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Felix Holzmeister
- Department of Banking and Finance, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Colin F Camerer
- HSS and CNS, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Anna Dreber
- Department of Economics, Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Economics, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Juergen Huber
- Department of Banking and Finance, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Magnus Johannesson
- Department of Economics, Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Michael Kirchler
- Department of Banking and Finance, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Roni Iwanir
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Jeanette A Mumford
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - R Alison Adcock
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Paolo Avesani
- Neuroinformatics Laboratory, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento, Italy
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences - CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Blazej M Baczkowski
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Aahana Bajracharya
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Leah Bakst
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sheryl Ball
- Department of Economics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Marco Barilari
- Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity Laboratory, Institutes for Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Neurosciences (IoNS), UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Nadège Bault
- School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Derek Beaton
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julia Beitner
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Roland G Benoit
- Max Planck Research Group: Adaptive Memory, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ruud M W J Berkers
- Max Planck Research Group: Adaptive Memory, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jamil P Bhanji
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Bharat B Biswal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA
- School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | | | - Tiago Bortolini
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Alexander Bowring
- Oxford Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Senne Braem
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hayley R Brooks
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Emily G Brudner
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, NJ, USA
| | | | - Julia A Camilleri
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jaime J Castrellon
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Luca Cecchetti
- MoMiLab Research Unit, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Edna C Cieslik
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Zachary J Cole
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Olivier Collignon
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences - CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity Laboratory, Institutes for Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Neurosciences (IoNS), UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Robert W Cox
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Stefan Czoschke
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Charles P Davis
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Brain Imaging Research Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Alberto De Luca
- PROVIDI Lab, Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Lysia Demetriou
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Xin Di
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA
- School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Erin W Dickie
- Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ekaterina Dobryakova
- Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research, Kessler Foundation, East Hanover, NJ, USA
| | - Claire L Donnat
- Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Juergen Dukart
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Niall W Duncan
- Graduate Institute of Mind, Brain and Consciousness, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Brain and Consciousness Research Centre, TMU-ShuangHo Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Joke Durnez
- Department of Psychology and Stanford Center for Reproducible Neuroscience, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Amr Eed
- Instituto de Neurociencias, CSIC-UMH, Alicante, Spain
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Andrew Erhart
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Laura Fontanesi
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - G Matthew Fricke
- Computer Science Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Shiguang Fu
- School of Management, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Neuromanagement, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Adriana Galván
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Remi Gau
- Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity Laboratory, Institutes for Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Neurosciences (IoNS), UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Sarah Genon
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Tristan Glatard
- Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Enrico Glerean
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Jelle J Goeman
- Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Sergej A E Golowin
- Graduate Institute of Mind, Brain and Consciousness, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | | | - Cheryl L Grady
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mikella A Green
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - João F Guassi Moreira
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Olivia Guest
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- Research Centre on Interactive Media, Smart Systems and Emerging Technologies - RISE, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Shabnam Hakimi
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - J Paul Hamilton
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Roeland Hancock
- Brain Imaging Research Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Giacomo Handjaras
- MoMiLab Research Unit, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Bronson B Harry
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Colin Hawco
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Peer Herholz
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital), Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Gabrielle Herman
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stephan Heunis
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Department of Research and Development, Epilepsy Centre Kempenhaeghe, Heeze, The Netherlands
| | - Felix Hoffstaedter
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jeremy Hogeveen
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Psychology Clinical Neuroscience Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Susan Holmes
- Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Chuan-Peng Hu
- Leibniz-Institut für Resilienzforschung (LIR), Mainz, Germany
| | - Scott A Huettel
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Matthew E Hughes
- School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
| | - Vittorio Iacovella
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences - CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | | | - Peder M Isager
- Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Ayse I Isik
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Andrew Jahn
- fMRI Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Matthew R Johnson
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Tom Johnstone
- School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michael J E Joseph
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anthony C Juliano
- Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research, Kessler Foundation, East Hanover, NJ, USA
| | - Joseph W Kable
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- MindCORE, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michalis Kassinopoulos
- Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Cemal Koba
- MoMiLab Research Unit, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Xiang-Zhen Kong
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Timothy R Koscik
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Nuri Erkut Kucukboyaci
- Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research, Kessler Foundation, East Hanover, NJ, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Brice A Kuhl
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Sebastian Kupek
- Faculty of Economics and Statistics, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Angela R Laird
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Claus Lamm
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Robert Langner
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Nina Lauharatanahirun
- US CCDC Army Research Laboratory, Human Research and Engineering Directorate, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Hongmi Lee
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sangil Lee
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Alexander Leemans
- PROVIDI Lab, Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea Leo
- MoMiLab Research Unit, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Elise Lesage
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Flora Li
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Roanoke, VA, USA
- Economics Experimental Lab, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, China
| | - Monica Y C Li
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Brain Imaging Research Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Phui Cheng Lim
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Evan N Lintz
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | | | - Annabel B Losecaat Vermeer
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bradley C Love
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
| | - Michael L Mack
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Norberto Malpica
- Laboratorio de Análisis de Imagen Médica y Biometría (LAIMBIO), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Theo Marins
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Camille Maumet
- Inria, Univ Rennes, CNRS, Inserm, IRISA UMR 6074, Empenn ERL U 1228, Rennes, France
| | - Kelsey McDonald
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Joseph T McGuire
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Helena Melero
- Laboratorio de Análisis de Imagen Médica y Biometría (LAIMBIO), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Psicobiología, División de Psicología, CES Cardenal Cisneros, Madrid, Spain
- Northeastern University Biomedical Imaging Center, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Adriana S Méndez Leal
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Benjamin Meyer
- Leibniz-Institut für Resilienzforschung (LIR), Mainz, Germany
- Neuroimaging Center (NIC), Focus Program Translational Neurosciences (FTN), Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Kristin N Meyer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Glad Mihai
- Max Planck Research Group: Neural Mechanisms of Human Communication, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Chair of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Georgios D Mitsis
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jorge Moll
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Dylan M Nielson
- Data Science and Sharing Team, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Gustav Nilsonne
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Michael P Notter
- The Laboratory for Investigative Neurophysiology (The LINE), Department of Radiology, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Emanuele Olivetti
- Neuroinformatics Laboratory, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento, Italy
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences - CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Adrian I Onicas
- MoMiLab Research Unit, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Paolo Papale
- MoMiLab Research Unit, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
- Department of Vision and Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kaustubh R Patil
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jonathan E Peelle
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Alexandre Pérez
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital), Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Doris Pischedda
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience and Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging and Clinic for Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Science of Intelligence, Technische Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- NeuroMI - Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
| | - Jean-Baptiste Poline
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital), Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Henry H. Wheeler, Jr. Brain Imaging Center, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Yanina Prystauka
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Brain Imaging Research Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Shruti Ray
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA
| | | | - Richard C Reynolds
- Scientific and Statistical Computing Core, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Emiliano Ricciardi
- MoMiLab Research Unit, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Jenny R Rieck
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anais M Rodriguez-Thompson
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Anthony Romyn
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Taylor Salo
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Gregory R Samanez-Larkin
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Emilio Sanz-Morales
- Laboratorio de Análisis de Imagen Médica y Biometría (LAIMBIO), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Douglas H Schultz
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Qiang Shen
- School of Management, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Neuromanagement, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Margaret A Sheridan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jennifer A Silvers
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kenny Skagerlund
- Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Alec Smith
- Department of Economics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - David V Smith
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Simon R Steinkamp
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Cognitive Neuroscience (INM-3), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Sarah M Tashjian
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - John N Thorp
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gustav Tinghög
- Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Loreen Tisdall
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Cognitive and Decision Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Steven H Tompson
- US CCDC Army Research Laboratory, Human Research and Engineering Directorate, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA
| | - Claudio Toro-Serey
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Leonardo Tozzi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Vuong Truong
- Graduate Institute of Mind, Brain and Consciousness, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Brain and Consciousness Research Centre, TMU-ShuangHo Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Luca Turella
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences - CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Anna E van 't Veer
- Methodology and Statistics Unit, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Tom Verguts
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jean M Vettel
- US Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen, MD, USA
- University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sagana Vijayarajah
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Khoi Vo
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Invicro, London, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Wouter D Weeda
- Methodology and Statistics Unit, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Susanne Weis
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - David J White
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
| | - David Wisniewski
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Alba Xifra-Porxas
- Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Emily A Yearling
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Brain Imaging Research Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Sangsuk Yoon
- Department of Management and Marketing, School of Business, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| | - Rui Yuan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Kenneth S L Yuen
- Leibniz-Institut für Resilienzforschung (LIR), Mainz, Germany
- Neuroimaging Center (NIC), Focus Program Translational Neurosciences (FTN), Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Xu Zhang
- Brain Imaging Research Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Joshua E Zosky
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Thomas E Nichols
- Oxford Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | | | - Tom Schonberg
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Department of Neurobiology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Yang L, Demetriou L, Wall MB, Mills EG, Zargaran D, Sykes M, Prague JK, Abbara A, Owen BM, Bassett PA, Rabiner EA, Comninos AN, Dhillo WS. Kisspeptin enhances brain responses to olfactory and visual cues of attraction in men. JCI Insight 2020; 5:133633. [PMID: 32051344 PMCID: PMC7098781 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.133633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Successful reproduction is a fundamental physiological process that relies on the integration of sensory cues of attraction with appropriate emotions and behaviors and the reproductive axis. However, the factors responsible for this integration remain largely unexplored. Using functional neuroimaging, hormonal, and psychometric analyses, we demonstrate that the reproductive hormone kisspeptin enhances brain activity in response to olfactory and visual cues of attraction in men. Furthermore, the brain regions enhanced by kisspeptin correspond to areas within the olfactory and limbic systems that govern sexual behavior and perception of beauty as well as overlap with its endogenous expression pattern. Of key functional and behavioral significance, we observed that kisspeptin was most effective in men with lower sexual quality-of-life scores. As such, our results reveal a previously undescribed attraction pathway in humans activated by kisspeptin and identify kisspeptin signaling as a new therapeutic target for related reproductive and psychosexual disorders. Kisspeptin enhances brain processing in response to olfactory and visual cues of attraction and is most effective in men with lower sexual quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Yang
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Lysia Demetriou
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.,Invicro, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Invicro, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom.,Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.,Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Edouard Ga Mills
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - David Zargaran
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Sykes
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Julia K Prague
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Ali Abbara
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Bryn M Owen
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Eugenii A Rabiner
- Invicro, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom.,Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander N Comninos
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.,Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Waljit S Dhillo
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
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Mertens LJ, Wall MB, Roseman L, Demetriou L, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL. Therapeutic mechanisms of psilocybin: Changes in amygdala and prefrontal functional connectivity during emotional processing after psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. J Psychopharmacol 2020; 34:167-180. [PMID: 31941394 DOI: 10.1177/0269881119895520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psilocybin has shown promise as a treatment for depression but its therapeutic mechanisms are not properly understood. In contrast to the presumed actions of antidepressants, we recently found increased amygdala responsiveness to fearful faces one day after open-label treatment with psilocybin (25 mg) in 19 patients with treatment-resistant depression, which correlated with treatment efficacy. AIMS Aiming to further unravel the therapeutic mechanisms of psilocybin, the present study extends this basic activation analysis. We hypothesised changed amygdala functional connectivity, more precisely decreased amygdala-ventromedial prefrontal cortex functional connectivity, during face processing after treatment with psilocybin. METHODS Psychophysiological interaction analyses were conducted on functional magnetic resonance imaging data from a classic face/emotion perception task, with the bilateral amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex time-series as physiological regressors. Average parameter estimates (beta weights) of significant clusters were correlated with clinical outcomes at one week. RESULTS Results showed decreased ventromedial prefrontal cortex-right amygdala functional connectivity during face processing post- (versus pre-) treatment; this decrease was associated with levels of rumination at one week. This effect was driven by connectivity changes in response to fearful and neutral (but not happy) faces. Independent whole-brain analyses also revealed a post-treatment increase in functional connectivity between the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex to occipital-parietal cortices during face processing. CONCLUSION These results are consistent with the idea that psilocybin therapy revives emotional responsiveness on a neural and psychological level, which may be a key treatment mechanism for psychedelic therapy. Future larger placebo-controlled studies are needed to examine the replicability of the current findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea J Mertens
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- The Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (C3NL), Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Lysia Demetriou
- Invicro, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
- Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Nour MM, Dahoun T, McCutcheon RA, Adams RA, Wall MB, Howes OD. Task-induced functional brain connectivity mediates the relationship between striatal D2/3 receptors and working memory. eLife 2019; 8:e45045. [PMID: 31290741 PMCID: PMC6620042 DOI: 10.7554/elife.45045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Working memory performance is thought to depend on both striatal dopamine 2/3 receptors (D2/3Rs) and task-induced functional organisation in key cortical brain networks. Here, we combine functional magnetic resonance imaging and D2/3R positron emission tomography in 51 healthy volunteers, to investigate the relationship between working memory performance, task-induced default mode network (DMN) functional connectivity changes, and striatal D2/3R availability. Increasing working memory load was associated with reduced DMN functional connectivity, which was itself associated with poorer task performance. Crucially, the magnitude of the DMN connectivity reduction correlated with striatal D2/3R availability, particularly in the caudate, and this relationship mediated the relationship between striatal D2/3R availability and task performance. These results inform our understanding of natural variation in working memory performance, and have implications for understanding age-related cognitive decline and cognitive impairments in neuropsychiatric disorders where dopamine signalling is altered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew M Nour
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IOPPN)King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS)Hammersmith HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
- Institute of Clinical SciencesImperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing ResearchUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (WCHN)University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Tarik Dahoun
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS)Hammersmith HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
- Institute of Clinical SciencesImperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Robert A McCutcheon
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IOPPN)King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS)Hammersmith HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Rick A Adams
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (ICN)University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Division of PsychiatryUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences (Invicro Ltd)Hammersmith HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Oliver D Howes
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IOPPN)King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS)Hammersmith HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
- Institute of Clinical SciencesImperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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Wall MB, Pope R, Freeman TP, Kowalczyk OS, Demetriou L, Mokrysz C, Hindocha C, Lawn W, Bloomfield MA, Freeman AM, Feilding A, Nutt D, Curran HV. Dissociable effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol on the human brain's resting-state functional connectivity. J Psychopharmacol 2019; 33:822-830. [PMID: 31013455 DOI: 10.1177/0269881119841568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Two major constituents of cannabis are Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC is the main psychoactive component; CBD may buffer the user against the harmful effects of THC. AIMS We examined the effects of two strains of cannabis and placebo on the human brain's resting-state networks using fMRI. METHODS Seventeen healthy volunteers (experienced with cannabis, but not regular users) underwent three drug treatments and scanning sessions. Treatments were cannabis containing THC (Cann-CBD; 8 mg THC), cannabis containing THC with CBD (Cann+CBD; 8 mg THC + 10 mg CBD), and matched placebo cannabis. Seed-based resting-state functional connectivity analyses were performed on three brain networks: the default mode (DMN; defined by positive connectivity with the posterior cingulate cortex: PCC+), executive control (ECN; defined by negative connectivity with the posterior cingulate cortex: PCC-) and salience (SAL; defined by positive connectivity with the anterior insula: AI+) network. RESULTS Reductions in functional connectivity (relative to placebo) were seen in the DMN (PCC+) and SAL (AI+) networks for both strains of cannabis, with spatially dissociable effects. Across the entire salience network (AI+), Cann-CBD reduced connectivity relative to Cann+CBD. The PCC in the DMN was specifically disrupted by Cann-CBD, and this effect correlated with subjective drug effects, including feeling 'stoned' and 'high'. CONCLUSIONS THC disrupts the DMN, and the PCC is a key brain region involved in the subjective experience of THC intoxication. CBD restores disruption of the salience network by THC, which may explain its potential to treat disorders of salience such as psychosis and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B Wall
- 1 Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.,2 Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK.,3 Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Rebecca Pope
- 2 Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Tom P Freeman
- 2 Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK.,4 Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK.,5 National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK
| | - Oliwia S Kowalczyk
- 6 Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Lysia Demetriou
- 1 Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.,3 Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Claire Mokrysz
- 2 Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Chandni Hindocha
- 2 Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Will Lawn
- 2 Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Michael Ap Bloomfield
- 2 Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK.,7 Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.,8 Psychiatric Imaging, MRC London Institute of Clinical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
| | - Abigail M Freeman
- 2 Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - David Nutt
- 3 Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - H Valerie Curran
- 2 Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
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Wall MB. Reliability starts with the experimental tools employed. Cortex 2019; 113:352-354. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.11.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Bloomfield MAP, Hindocha C, Green SF, Wall MB, Lees R, Petrilli K, Costello H, Ogunbiyi MO, Bossong MG, Freeman TP. The neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis: A review of human imaging studies. Pharmacol Ther 2018; 195:132-161. [PMID: 30347211 PMCID: PMC6416743 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2018.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The laws governing cannabis are evolving worldwide and associated with changing patterns of use. The main psychoactive drug in cannabis is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a partial agonist at the endocannabinoid CB1 receptor. Acutely, cannabis and THC produce a range of effects on several neurocognitive and pharmacological systems. These include effects on executive, emotional, reward and memory processing via direct interactions with the endocannabinoid system and indirect effects on the glutamatergic, GABAergic and dopaminergic systems. Cannabidiol, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in some forms of cannabis, may offset some of these acute effects. Heavy repeated cannabis use, particularly during adolescence, has been associated with adverse effects on these systems, which increase the risk of mental illnesses including addiction and psychosis. Here, we provide a comprehensive state of the art review on the acute and chronic neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis by synthesizing the available neuroimaging research in humans. We describe the effects of drug exposure during development, implications for understanding psychosis and cannabis use disorder, and methodological considerations. Greater understanding of the precise mechanisms underlying the effects of cannabis may also give rise to new treatment targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A P Bloomfield
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom; NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, United Kingdom; Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
| | - Chandni Hindocha
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian F Green
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology, Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom; Invicro UK, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Lees
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Katherine Petrilli
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Harry Costello
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - M Olabisi Ogunbiyi
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthijs G Bossong
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, Research Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, University of Bath, United Kingdom; National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom
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Comninos AN, Demetriou L, Wall MB, Shah AJ, Clarke SA, Narayanaswamy S, Nesbitt A, Izzi-Engbeaya C, Prague JK, Abbara A, Ratnasabapathy R, Yang L, Salem V, Nijher GM, Jayasena CN, Tanner M, Bassett P, Mehta A, McGonigle J, Rabiner EA, Bloom SR, Dhillo WS. Modulations of human resting brain connectivity by kisspeptin enhance sexual and emotional functions. JCI Insight 2018; 3:121958. [PMID: 30333302 PMCID: PMC6237465 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.121958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Resting brain connectivity is a crucial component of human behavior demonstrated by disruptions in psychosexual and emotional disorders. Kisspeptin, a recently identified critical reproductive hormone, can alter activity in certain brain structures but its effects on resting brain connectivity and networks in humans remain elusive. METHODS We determined the effects of kisspeptin on resting brain connectivity (using functional neuroimaging) and behavior (using psychometric analyses) in healthy men, in a randomized double-blinded 2-way placebo-controlled study. RESULTS Kisspeptin's modulation of the default mode network (DMN) correlated with increased limbic activity in response to sexual stimuli (globus pallidus r = 0.500, P = 0.005; cingulate r = 0.475, P = 0.009). Furthermore, kisspeptin's DMN modulation was greater in men with less reward drive (r = -0.489, P = 0.008) and predicted reduced sexual aversion (r = -0.499, P = 0.006), providing key functional significance. Kisspeptin also enhanced key mood connections including between the amygdala-cingulate, hippocampus-cingulate, and hippocampus-globus pallidus (all P < 0.05). Consistent with this, kisspeptin's enhancement of hippocampus-globus pallidus connectivity predicted increased responses to negative stimuli in limbic structures (including the thalamus and cingulate [all P < 0.01]). CONCLUSION Taken together, our data demonstrate a previously unknown role for kisspeptin in the modulation of functional brain connectivity and networks, integrating these with reproductive hormones and behaviors. Our findings that kisspeptin modulates resting brain connectivity to enhance sexual and emotional processing and decrease sexual aversion, provide foundation for kisspeptin-based therapies for associated disorders of body and mind. FUNDING NIHR, MRC, and Wellcome Trust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander N Comninos
- Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.,Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lysia Demetriou
- Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.,Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.,Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Amar J Shah
- Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie A Clarke
- Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Julia K Prague
- Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Ali Abbara
- Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Lisa Yang
- Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria Salem
- Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Mark Tanner
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Amrish Mehta
- Department of Neuroradiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - John McGonigle
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Eugenii A Rabiner
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.,Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen R Bloom
- Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Waljit S Dhillo
- Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
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Harvey JL, Demetriou L, McGonigle J, Wall MB. A short, robust brain activation control task optimised for pharmacological fMRI studies. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5540. [PMID: 30221091 PMCID: PMC6138041 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a popular method for examining pharmacological effects on the brain; however, the BOLD response is dependent on intact neurovascular coupling, and potentially modulated by a number of physiological factors. Pharmacological fMRI is therefore vulnerable to confounding effects of pharmacological probes on general physiology or neurovascular coupling. Controlling for such non-specific effects in pharmacological fMRI studies is therefore an important consideration, and there is an additional need for well-validated fMRI task paradigms that could be used to control for such effects, or for general testing purposes. METHODS We have developed two variants of a standardized control task that are short (5 minutes duration) simple (for both the subject and experimenter), widely applicable, and yield a number of readouts in a spatially diverse set of brain networks. The tasks consist of four functionally discrete three-second trial types (plus additional null trials) and contain visual, auditory, motor and cognitive (eye-movements, and working memory tasks in the two task variants) stimuli. Performance of the tasks was assessed in a group of 15 subjects scanned on two separate occasions, with test-retest reliability explicitly assessed using intra-class correlation coefficients. RESULTS Both tasks produced robust patterns of brain activation in the expected brain regions, and region of interest-derived reliability coefficients for the tasks were generally high, with four out of eight task conditions rated as 'excellent' or 'good', and only one out of eight rated as 'poor'. Median values in the voxel-wise reliability measures were also >0.7 for all task conditions, and therefore classed as 'excellent' or 'good'. The spatial concordance between the most highly activated voxels and those with the highest reliability coefficients was greater for the sensory (auditory, visual) conditions than the other (motor, cognitive) conditions. DISCUSSION Either of the two task variants would be suitable for use as a control task in future pharmacological fMRI studies or for any other investigation where a short, reliable, basic task paradigm is required. Stimulus code is available online for re-use by the scientific community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica-Lily Harvey
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lysia Demetriou
- Invicro Ltd., London, United Kingdom
- Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - John McGonigle
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Perspectum Diagnostics, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew B. Wall
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Invicro Ltd., London, United Kingdom
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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Demetriou L, Kowalczyk OS, Tyson G, Bello T, Newbould RD, Wall MB. A comprehensive evaluation of increasing temporal resolution with multiband-accelerated protocols and effects on statistical outcome measures in fMRI. Neuroimage 2018; 176:404-416. [PMID: 29738911 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Accelerated functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) with 'multiband' protocols is now relatively widespread. These protocols can be used to dramatically reduce the repetition time (TR) and produce a time-series sampled at a higher temporal resolution, which may produce benefits in the statistical methods typically used to analyse fMRI data. We tested the effects of higher temporal resolutions for fMRI on statistical outcome measures in a comprehensive manner on two different MRI scanner platforms. Spatial resolution was maintained at a constant of 3 mm isotropic voxels, and an in-plane acceleration factor of 2 was used for all experiments. Experiment 1 tested a range of acceleration factors (1-6) against a standard EPI protocol on a single composite task that mapped a number of basic sensory, motor, and cognitive networks. Experiment 2 compared the standard protocol with acceleration factors of 2 and 3 on both resting-state and two task paradigms (an N-back task, and faces/places task), with a number of different analysis approaches. Results from experiment 1 showed modest but relatively inconsistent effects of the higher sampling rate on statistical outcome measures. Experiment 2 showed strong benefits of the multiband protocols on results derived from resting-state data, but more varied effects on results from the task paradigms. Notably, the multiband protocols were superior when Multi-Voxel Pattern Analysis was used to interrogate the faces/places data, but showed less benefit in conventional General Linear Model analyses of the same data. In general, ROI-derived measures of statistical effects benefitted only modestly from higher sampling resolution, with greater effects seen when using a measure of the top range of statistical values. Across both experiments, results from the two scanner platforms were broadly comparable. The statistical benefits of high temporal resolution fMRI with multiband protocols may therefore depend on a number of factors, including the nature of the investigation (resting-state vs. task-based), the experimental design, the particular statistical outcome measure, and the type of analysis used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lysia Demetriou
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Oliwia S Kowalczyk
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Gabriella Tyson
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Thomas Bello
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Arizona, 1127 E. James E. Rogers Way, P.O. Box 210020, Tucson, AZ 85721-0020, USA
| | - Rexford D Newbould
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK; Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, UK; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
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41
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Freeman TP, Pope RA, Wall MB, Bisby JA, Luijten M, Hindocha C, Mokrysz C, Lawn W, Moss A, Bloomfield MAP, Morgan CJA, Nutt DJ, Curran HV. Cannabis Dampens the Effects of Music in Brain Regions Sensitive to Reward and Emotion. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2018; 21:21-32. [PMID: 29025134 PMCID: PMC5795345 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyx082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the current shift towards permissive cannabis policies, few studies have investigated the pleasurable effects users seek. Here, we investigate the effects of cannabis on listening to music, a rewarding activity that frequently occurs in the context of recreational cannabis use. We additionally tested how these effects are influenced by cannabidiol, which may offset cannabis-related harms. METHODS Across 3 sessions, 16 cannabis users inhaled cannabis with cannabidiol, cannabis without cannabidiol, and placebo. We compared their response to music relative to control excerpts of scrambled sound during functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging within regions identified in a meta-analysis of music-evoked reward and emotion. All results were False Discovery Rate corrected (P<.05). RESULTS Compared with placebo, cannabis without cannabidiol dampened response to music in bilateral auditory cortex (right: P=.005, left: P=.008), right hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus (P=.025), right amygdala (P=.025), and right ventral striatum (P=.033). Across all sessions, the effects of music in this ventral striatal region correlated with pleasure ratings (P=.002) and increased functional connectivity with auditory cortex (right: P< .001, left: P< .001), supporting its involvement in music reward. Functional connectivity between right ventral striatum and auditory cortex was increased by cannabidiol (right: P=.003, left: P=.030), and cannabis with cannabidiol did not differ from placebo on any functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging measures. Both types of cannabis increased ratings of wanting to listen to music (P<.002) and enhanced sound perception (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS Cannabis dampens the effects of music in brain regions sensitive to reward and emotion. These effects were offset by a key cannabis constituent, cannabidol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom P Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, United Kingdom.,National Addiction Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca A Pope
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, United Kingdom.,Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom.,Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - James A Bisby
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Maartje Luijten
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Chandni Hindocha
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Claire Mokrysz
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Will Lawn
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Abigail Moss
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Michael A P Bloomfield
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, Medical Research Council Clinical Sciences Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom.,Division of Psychiatry, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Celia J A Morgan
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, United Kingdom.,Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - David J Nutt
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - H Valerie Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, United Kingdom
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Roseman L, Demetriou L, Wall MB, Nutt DJ, Carhart-Harris RL. Increased amygdala responses to emotional faces after psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. Neuropharmacology 2017; 142:263-269. [PMID: 29288686 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.12.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Revised: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Recent evidence indicates that psilocybin with psychological support may be effective for treating depression. Some studies have found that patients with depression show heightened amygdala responses to fearful faces and there is reliable evidence that treatment with SSRIs attenuates amygdala responses (Ma, 2015). We hypothesised that amygdala responses to emotional faces would be altered post-treatment with psilocybin. In this open-label study, 20 individuals diagnosed with moderate to severe, treatment-resistant depression, underwent two separate dosing sessions with psilocybin. Psychological support was provided before, during and after these sessions and 19 completed fMRI scans one week prior to the first session and one day after the second and last. Neutral, fearful and happy faces were presented in the scanner and analyses focused on the amygdala. Group results revealed rapid and enduring improvements in depressive symptoms post psilocybin. Increased responses to fearful and happy faces were observed in the right amygdala post-treatment, and right amygdala increases to fearful versus neutral faces were predictive of clinical improvements at 1-week. Psilocybin with psychological support was associated with increased amygdala responses to emotional stimuli, an opposite effect to previous findings with SSRIs. This suggests fundamental differences in these treatments' therapeutic actions, with SSRIs mitigating negative emotions and psilocybin allowing patients to confront and work through them. Based on the present results, we propose that psilocybin with psychological support is a treatment approach that potentially revives emotional responsiveness in depression, enabling patients to reconnect with their emotions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN, number ISRCTN14426797. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Psychedelics: New Doors, Altered Perceptions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leor Roseman
- Psychedelic Research Group, Centre for Psychiatry, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK; C3NL, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK.
| | - Lysia Demetriou
- Imanova, Centre for Imaging Sciences, W12 0NN London, UK; Investigative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Imanova, Centre for Imaging Sciences, W12 0NN London, UK
| | - David J Nutt
- Psychedelic Research Group, Centre for Psychiatry, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Psychedelic Research Group, Centre for Psychiatry, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK
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Wall MB, Mentink A, Lyons G, Kowalczyk OS, Demetriou L, Newbould RD. Investigating the neural correlates of smoking: Feasibility and results of combining electronic cigarettes with fMRI. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11352. [PMID: 28900267 PMCID: PMC5596056 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11872-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Cigarette addiction is driven partly by the physiological effects of nicotine, but also by the distinctive sensory and behavioural aspects of smoking, and understanding the neural effects of such processes is vital. There are many practical difficulties associated with subjects smoking in the modern neuroscientific laboratory environment, however electronic cigarettes obviate many of these issues, and provide a close simulation of smoking tobacco cigarettes. We have examined the neural effects of 'smoking' electronic cigarettes with concurrent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The results demonstrate the feasibility of using these devices in the MRI environment, and show brain activation in a network of cortical (motor cortex, insula, cingulate, amygdala) and sub-cortical (putamen, thalamus, globus pallidus, cerebellum) regions. Concomitant relative deactivations were seen in the ventral striatum and orbitofrontal cortex. These results reveal the brain processes involved in (simulated) smoking for the first time, and validate a novel approach to the study of smoking, and addiction more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B Wall
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, UK.
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
| | - Alexander Mentink
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Leiden University, Rapenburg 70, 2311 EZ, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Georgina Lyons
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Oliwia S Kowalczyk
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Lysia Demetriou
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, UK
| | - Rexford D Newbould
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, UK
- Perspectum Diagnostics, Oxford, UK
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Comninos AN, Wall MB, Demetriou L, Shah AJ, Clarke SA, Narayanaswamy S, Nesbitt A, Izzi-Engbeaya C, Prague JK, Abbara A, Ratnasabapathy R, Salem V, Nijher GM, Jayasena CN, Tanner M, Bassett P, Mehta A, Rabiner EA, Hönigsperger C, Silva MR, Brandtzaeg OK, Lundanes E, Wilson SR, Brown RC, Thomas SA, Bloom SR, Dhillo WS. Kisspeptin modulates sexual and emotional brain processing in humans. J Clin Invest 2017; 127:709-719. [PMID: 28112678 PMCID: PMC5272173 DOI: 10.1172/jci89519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND. Sex, emotion, and reproduction are fundamental and tightly entwined aspects of human behavior. At a population level in humans, both the desire for sexual stimulation and the desire to bond with a partner are important precursors to reproduction. However, the relationships between these processes are incompletely understood. The limbic brain system has key roles in sexual and emotional behaviors, and is a likely candidate system for the integration of behavior with the hormonal reproductive axis. We investigated the effects of kisspeptin, a recently identified key reproductive hormone, on limbic brain activity and behavior. METHODS. Using a combination of functional neuroimaging and hormonal and psychometric analyses, we compared the effects of kisspeptin versus vehicle administration in 29 healthy heterosexual young men. RESULTS. We demonstrated that kisspeptin administration enhanced limbic brain activity specifically in response to sexual and couple-bonding stimuli. Furthermore, kisspeptin’s enhancement of limbic brain structures correlated with psychometric measures of reward, drive, mood, and sexual aversion, providing functional significance. In addition, kisspeptin administration attenuated negative mood. CONCLUSIONS. Collectively, our data provide evidence of an undescribed role for kisspeptin in integrating sexual and emotional brain processing with reproduction in humans. These results have important implications for our understanding of reproductive biology and are highly relevant to the current pharmacological development of kisspeptin as a potential therapeutic agent for patients with common disorders of reproductive function. FUNDING. National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Wellcome Trust (Ref 080268), and the Medical Research Council (MRC).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew B. Wall
- Division of Brain Sciences,and
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lysia Demetriou
- Investigative Medicine
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mark Tanner
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Bassett
- Statsconsultancy Ltd., Amersham, Bucks, United Kingdom
| | - Amrish Mehta
- Department of Neuroradiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eugenii A. Rabiner
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Meire Ribeiro Silva
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Carlos, Brazil
| | | | - Elsa Lundanes
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Rachel C. Brown
- King’s College London, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Department of Physiology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah A. Thomas
- King’s College London, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Department of Physiology, London, United Kingdom
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Wall MB, Birch D, Yong MY. Opportunities and considerations for visualising neuroimaging data on very large displays. F1000Res 2016; 5:2157. [PMID: 27703670 PMCID: PMC5031127 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.9522.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging experiments can generate impressive volumes of data and many images of the results. This is particularly true of multi-modal imaging studies that use more than one imaging technique, or when imaging is combined with other assessments. A challenge for these studies is appropriate visualisation of results in order to drive insights and guide accurate interpretations. Next-generation visualisation technology therefore has much to offer the neuroimaging community. One example is the Imperial College London Data Observatory; a high-resolution (132 megapixel) arrangement of 64 monitors, arranged in a 313 degree arc, with a 6 metre diameter, powered by 32 rendering nodes. This system has the potential for high-resolution, large-scale display of disparate data types in a space designed to promote collaborative discussion by multiple researchers and/or clinicians. Opportunities for the use of the Data Observatory are discussed, with particular reference to applications in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research and clinical practice. Technical issues and current work designed to optimise the use of the Data Observatory for neuroimaging are also discussed, as well as possible future research that could be enabled by the use of the system in combination with eye-tracking technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B Wall
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, London, W12 0NN, UK; Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, WC1E 7HB, UK
| | - David Birch
- Data Science Institute, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - May Y Yong
- Data Science Institute, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
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Colasanti A, Guo Q, Giannetti P, Wall MB, Newbould RD, Bishop C, Onega M, Nicholas R, Ciccarelli O, Muraro PA, Malik O, Owen DR, Young AH, Gunn RN, Piccini P, Matthews PM, Rabiner EA. Hippocampal Neuroinflammation, Functional Connectivity, and Depressive Symptoms in Multiple Sclerosis. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 80:62-72. [PMID: 26809249 PMCID: PMC4918731 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2015] [Revised: 11/04/2015] [Accepted: 11/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression, a condition commonly comorbid with multiple sclerosis (MS), is associated more generally with elevated inflammatory markers and hippocampal pathology. We hypothesized that neuroinflammation in the hippocampus is responsible for depression associated with MS. We characterized the relationship between depressive symptoms and hippocampal microglial activation in patients with MS using the 18-kDa translocator protein radioligand [(18)F]PBR111. To evaluate pathophysiologic mechanisms, we explored the relationships between hippocampal neuroinflammation, depressive symptoms, and hippocampal functional connectivities defined by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was administered to 11 patients with MS and 22 healthy control subjects before scanning with positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging. We tested for higher [(18)F]PBR111 uptake in the hippocampus of patients with MS relative to healthy control subjects and examined the correlations between [(18)F]PBR111 uptake, BDI scores, and hippocampal functional connectivities in the patients with MS. RESULTS Patients with MS had an increased hippocampal [(18)F]PBR111 distribution volume ratio relative to healthy control subjects (p = .024), and the hippocampal distribution volume ratio was strongly correlated with the BDI score in patients with MS (r = .86, p = .006). Hippocampal functional connectivities to the subgenual cingulate and prefrontal and parietal regions correlated with BDI scores and [(18)F]PBR111 distribution volume ratio. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide evidence that hippocampal microglial activation in MS impairs the brain functional connectivities in regions contributing to maintenance of a normal affective state. Our results suggest a rationale for the responsiveness of depression in some patients with MS to effective control of brain neuroinflammation. Our findings also lend support to further investigation of the role of inflammatory processes in the pathogenesis of depression more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Colasanti
- Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Centre for Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Qi Guo
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paolo Giannetti
- Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Mayca Onega
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, London, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Nicholas
- Imperial College Healthcare National Health Service Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Olga Ciccarelli
- Department of Neuroinflammation, University College London Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom,National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at University College London Hospitals, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paolo A. Muraro
- Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Omar Malik
- Imperial College Healthcare National Health Service Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - David R. Owen
- Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Allan H. Young
- Centre for Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Roger N. Gunn
- Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom,Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paola Piccini
- Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paul M. Matthews
- Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eugenii A. Rabiner
- Psychological Medicine, and Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom,Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, London, United Kingdom
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Bishop CA, Johnson SM, Wall MB, Janiczek RL, Shanga G, Wise RG, Newbould RD, Murphy PS. Magnetic resonance imaging reveals the complementary effects of decongestant and Breathe Right Nasal Strips on internal nasal anatomy. Laryngoscope 2016; 126:2205-11. [PMID: 26865420 DOI: 10.1002/lary.25906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Revised: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS This magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of 26 subjects with nasal congestion was performed to assess in the complete nasal passage both the anatomical effect of the marketed Breathe Right Nasal Strip (BRNS) relative to placebo and the potential adjunctive effect of using a decongestant in combination with the BRNS. STUDY DESIGN Randomized, crossover study. METHODS The study consisted of two parts, the first involving application of either the BRNS or the placebo strip in a randomized, crossover design with evaluator blinding, and repeated MRI scanning; and the second a sequential process of decongestant administration, MRI scanning, application of the BRNS, and repeated MRI. The same anatomical MRI protocol was used throughout. Nasal patency was assessed in the whole nasal passage and eight subregions (by inferior-superior, anterior-posterior division). Numerical response scores representing subjective nasal congestion were also obtained. RESULTS Results demonstrate significant anatomical enlargement with the BRNS relative to placebo (P < .001), as well as an additive effect of using a decongestant in combination with the BRNS; both supported by a strong and significant negative correlation with the subjective nasal response measures of nasal congestion (r = -0.98, P = .002). Furthermore, analysis of the nasal subregions indicates that this adjunctive effect arises from a partially localized action of the complementary products: the BRNS acting primarily anteriorly in the nose and the decongestant mainly posteriorly. CONCLUSIONS The BRNS alone significantly increases nasal patency and alleviates perceived nasal congestion, and additional relief of symptoms can be obtained with simultaneous use of a decongestant. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 1b. Laryngoscope, 126:2205-2211, 2016.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney A Bishop
- Imanova, London, United Kingdom. .,Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Steven M Johnson
- GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Parsippany, New Jersey, U.S.A
| | | | | | - Gilbert Shanga
- GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Parsippany, New Jersey, U.S.A
| | - Richard G Wise
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Rexford D Newbould
- Imanova, London, United Kingdom.,Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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Carhart-Harris RL, Murphy K, Leech R, Erritzoe D, Wall MB, Ferguson B, Williams LTJ, Roseman L, Brugger S, De Meer I, Tanner M, Tyacke R, Wolff K, Sethi A, Bloomfield MAP, Williams TM, Bolstridge M, Stewart L, Morgan C, Newbould RD, Feilding A, Curran HV, Nutt DJ. The Effects of Acutely Administered 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine on Spontaneous Brain Function in Healthy Volunteers Measured with Arterial Spin Labeling and Blood Oxygen Level-Dependent Resting State Functional Connectivity. Biol Psychiatry 2015; 78:554-62. [PMID: 24495461 PMCID: PMC4578244 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2013] [Revised: 12/05/2013] [Accepted: 12/16/2013] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The compound 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a potent monoamine releaser that produces an acute euphoria in most individuals. METHODS In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, balanced-order study, MDMA was orally administered to 25 physically and mentally healthy individuals. Arterial spin labeling and seed-based resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) were used to produce spatial maps displaying changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and RSFC after MDMA administration. Participants underwent two arterial spin labeling and two blood oxygen level-dependent scans in a 90-minute scan session; MDMA and placebo study days were separated by 1 week. RESULTS Marked increases in positive mood were produced by MDMA. Decreased CBF only was observed after MDMA, and this was localized to the right medial temporal lobe (MTL), thalamus, inferior visual cortex, and the somatosensory cortex. Decreased CBF in the right amygdala and hippocampus correlated with ratings of the intensity of global subjective effects of MDMA. The RSFC results complemented the CBF results, with decreases in RSFC between midline cortical regions, the medial prefrontal cortex, and MTL regions, and increases between the amygdala and hippocampus. There were trend-level correlations between these effects and ratings of intense and positive subjective effects. CONCLUSIONS The MTLs appear to be specifically implicated in the mechanism of action of MDMA, but further work is required to elucidate how the drug's characteristic subjective effects arise from its modulation of spontaneous brain activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London.
| | - Kevin Murphy
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (KM), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - David Erritzoe
- Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Institute of Neurology (MBW),; Imanova (MBW, IDM, MT, RDN), Centre for Imaging Sciences, London
| | - Bart Ferguson
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit (BF, LS, CM, HVC), University College London, London; University College London, London
| | - Luke T J Williams
- Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London
| | - Leor Roseman
- Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London
| | - Stefan Brugger
- Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London
| | - Ineke De Meer
- Imanova (MBW, IDM, MT, RDN), Centre for Imaging Sciences, London
| | - Mark Tanner
- Imanova (MBW, IDM, MT, RDN), Centre for Imaging Sciences, London
| | - Robin Tyacke
- Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London
| | - Kim Wolff
- School of Biomedical Sciences (KW), Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ajun Sethi
- Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London
| | - Michael A P Bloomfield
- Psychiatric Imaging Group (MAPB), MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Institute of Clinical Science, Imperial College London, London
| | - Tim M Williams
- Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London
| | - Mark Bolstridge
- Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London
| | - Lorna Stewart
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit (BF, LS, CM, HVC), University College London, London; University College London, London
| | - Celia Morgan
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit (BF, LS, CM, HVC), University College London, London; University College London, London
| | | | | | - H Val Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit (BF, LS, CM, HVC), University College London, London; University College London, London
| | - David J Nutt
- Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology (RLC-H, DE, LTJW, LR, SB, RT, AS, TMW, MB, DJN) and C3NL (RL), Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, London, London
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Abstract
Pharmacological Magnetic Resonance Imaging (phMRI) is a variant of conventional MRI that adds pharmacological manipulations in order to study the effects of drugs, or uses pharmacological probes to investigate basic or applied (e.g., clinical) neuroscience questions. Issues that may confound the interpretation of results from various types of phMRI studies are briefly discussed, and a set of methodological strategies that can mitigate these problems are described. These include strategies that can be employed at every stage of investigation, from study design to interpretation of resulting data, and additional techniques suited for use with clinical populations are also featured. Pharmacological MRI is a challenging area of research that has both significant advantages and formidable difficulties, however with due consideration and use of these strategies many of the key obstacles can be overcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julius H Bourke
- Centre for Psychiatry, The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Wolfson Barts Institute for Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London London, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital London, UK ; Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London London, UK
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50
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Stewart LH, Ferguson B, Morgan CJA, Swaboda N, Jones L, Fenton R, Wall MB, Curran HV. Effects of ecstasy on cooperative behaviour and perception of trustworthiness: a naturalistic study. J Psychopharmacol 2014; 28:1001-8. [PMID: 25122044 DOI: 10.1177/0269881114544775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acute recreational use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; 'ecstasy') can promote pro-social effects which may alter interpersonal perceptions. AIMS To explore such effects, this study investigated whether acute recreational use of ecstasy was associated with changes in individual perception of trustworthiness of people's faces and co-operative behaviours. METHOD An independent group, repeated measures design was used in which 17 ecstasy users were tested on the night of drug use (day 0) and again three days later (day 3); 22 controls were tested on parallel days. On each day, participants rated the trustworthiness of 66 faces, carried out three co-operative behaviour tasks (public good; dictator; ultimatum game) and completed mood self-ratings. RESULTS Acute ecstasy use was associated with increased face trustworthiness ratings and increased cooperative behaviour on the dictator and ultimatum games; on day 3 there were no group differences on any task. Self-ratings showed the standard acute ecstasy effects (euphoria, energy, jaw clenching) with negative effects (less empathy, compassion, more distrust, hostility) emerging on day 3. CONCLUSIONS Our findings of increased perceived trustworthiness and co-operative behaviours following use of ecstasy suggest that a single dose of the drug enhances aspects of empathy. This may in turn contribute to its popularity as a recreational drug and potentially to its enhancement of the therapeutic alliance in psychotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- L H Stewart
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - B Ferguson
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - C J A Morgan
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - N Swaboda
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - L Jones
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - R Fenton
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - M B Wall
- Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, London, UK Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - H V Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
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