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Frautschi PC, Singh AP, Stowe NA, Yu JPJ. Multimodal Neuroimaging of the Effect of Serotonergic Psychedelics on the Brain. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2024:ajnr.A8118. [PMID: 38360790 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a8118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
The neurobiological mechanisms underpinning psychiatric disorders such as treatment-resistant major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders, remain unknown. Psychedelic compounds, such as psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine, have emerged as potential therapies for these disorders because of their hypothesized ability to induce neuroplastic effects and alter functional networks in the brain. Yet, the mechanisms underpinning the neurobiological treatment response remain obscure. Quantitative neuroimaging is uniquely positioned to provide insight into the neurobiological mechanisms of these emerging therapies and quantify the patient treatment response. This review aims to synthesize our current state-of-the-art understanding of the functional changes occurring in the brain following psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, or N,N-dimethyltryptamine administration in human participants with fMRI and PET. We further aim to disseminate our understanding of psychedelic compounds as they relate to neuroimaging with the goal of improved diagnostics and treatment of neuropsychiatric illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paloma C Frautschi
- Department of Radiology (P.C.F., A.P.S., J.-P.J.Y.), University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Ajay P Singh
- Department of Radiology (P.C.F., A.P.S., J.-P.J.Y.), University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
- Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology (A.P.S., J.-P.J.Y.), University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Nicholas A Stowe
- Neuroscience Training Program, Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (N.A.S., J.-P.J.Y.), University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - John-Paul J Yu
- Department of Radiology (P.C.F., A.P.S., J.-P.J.Y.), University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
- Neuroscience Training Program, Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (N.A.S., J.-P.J.Y.), University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
- Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology (A.P.S., J.-P.J.Y.), University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering (J.-P.J.Y.), University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
- Department of Psychiatry (J.-P.J.Y.), University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
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Kim JH, Kim HK, Son YD, Kim JH. In Vivo Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptor Availability and Its Relationship with Aggression Traits in Healthy Individuals: A Positron Emission Tomography Study with C-11 MDL100907. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15697. [PMID: 37958691 PMCID: PMC10647245 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242115697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Serotonergic neurotransmission has been associated with aggression in several psychiatric disorders. Human aggression is a continuum of traits, ranging from normal to pathological phenomena. However, the individual differences in serotonergic neurotransmission and their relationships with aggression traits in healthy individuals remain unclear. In this study, we explored the relationship between 5-HT2A receptor availability in vivo and aggression traits in healthy participants. Thirty-three healthy participants underwent 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography (PET) with [11C]MDL100907, a selective radioligand for 5-HT2A receptors. To quantify 5-HT2A receptor availability, the binding potential (BPND) was derived using the basis function implementation of the simplified reference tissue model, with the cerebellum as the reference region. The participants' aggression levels were assessed using the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. The voxel-based correlation analysis with age and sex as covariates revealed that the total aggression score was significantly positively correlated with [11C]MDL100907 BPND in the right middle temporal gyrus (MTG) pole, left fusiform gyrus (FUSI), right parahippocampal gyrus, and right hippocampus. The physical aggression subscale score had significant positive correlations with [11C]MDL100907 BPND in the left olfactory cortex, left orbital superior frontal gyrus (SFG), right anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyri, left orbitomedial SFG, left gyrus rectus, left MTG, left inferior temporal gyrus, and left angular gyrus. The verbal aggression subscale score showed significant positive correlations with [11C]MDL100907 BPND in the bilateral SFG, right medial SFG, left FUSI, and right MTG pole. Overall, our findings suggest the possibility of positive correlations between aggression traits and in vivo 5-HT2A receptor availability in healthy individuals. Future research should incorporate multimodal neuroimaging to investigate the downstream effects of 5-HT2A receptor-mediated signaling and integrate molecular and systems-level information in relation to aggression traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong-Hee Kim
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, Incheon 21565, Republic of Korea
- Biomedical Engineering Research Center, Gachon University, Incheon 21936, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of IT Convergence, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 13120, Republic of Korea
| | - Hang-Keun Kim
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, Incheon 21565, Republic of Korea
- Biomedical Engineering Research Center, Gachon University, Incheon 21936, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of IT Convergence, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 13120, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Don Son
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, Incheon 21565, Republic of Korea
- Biomedical Engineering Research Center, Gachon University, Incheon 21936, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of IT Convergence, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 13120, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Hoon Kim
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University, Incheon 21565, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Gachon University College of Medicine, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University, Incheon 21565, Republic of Korea
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Meccia J, Lopez J, Bagot RC. Probing the antidepressant potential of psilocybin: integrating insight from human research and animal models towards an understanding of neural circuit mechanisms. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:27-40. [PMID: 36564671 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06297-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Interest in the therapeutic potential of serotonergic psychedelic compounds including psilocybin has surged in recent years. While human clinical research suggests psilocybin holds promise as a rapid and long-lasting antidepressant, little is known about how its acute mechanisms of action mediate enduring alterations in cognition and behavior. Human neuroimaging studies point to both acute and sustained modulation of functional connectivity in key cortically dependent brain networks. Emerging evidence in preclinical models highlights the importance of psilocybin-induced neuroplasticity and alterations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Overviewing research in both humans and preclinical models suggests avenues to increase crosstalk between fields. We review how acute modulation of PFC circuits may contribute to long-term structural and functional alterations to mediate antidepressant effects. We highlight the potential for preclinical circuit and behavioral neuroscience approaches to provide basic mechanistic insight into how psilocybin modulates cognitive and affective neural circuits to support further development of psilocybin as a promising new treatment for depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliet Meccia
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, 1205 Ave Dr. Penfield, Montréal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Joëlle Lopez
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, 1205 Ave Dr. Penfield, Montréal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Rosemary C Bagot
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, 1205 Ave Dr. Penfield, Montréal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada. .,Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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Casey AB, Cui M, Booth RG, Canal CE. "Selective" serotonin 5-HT 2A receptor antagonists. Biochem Pharmacol 2022; 200:115028. [PMID: 35381208 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2022.115028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Blockade of the serotonin 5-HT2A G protein-coupled receptor (5-HT2AR) is a fundamental pharmacological characteristic of numerous antipsychotic medications, which are FDA-approved to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and as adjunctive therapies in major depressive disorder. Meanwhile, activation of the 5-HT2AR by serotonergic psychedelics may be useful in treating neuropsychiatric indications, including major depressive and substance use disorders. Serotonergic psychedelics and other 5-HT2AR agonists, however, often bind other receptors, and standard 5-HT2AR antagonists lack sufficient selectivity to make well-founded mechanistic conclusions about the 5-HT2AR-dependent effects of these compounds and the general neurobiological function of 5-HT2ARs. This review discusses the limitations and strengths of currently available "selective" 5-HT2AR antagonists, the molecular determinants of antagonist selectivity at 5-HT2ARs, and the utility of molecular pharmacological and computational methods in guiding the discovery of novel unambiguously selective 5-HT2AR antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austen B Casey
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Meng Cui
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA; Center for Drug Discovery, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Raymond G Booth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA; Center for Drug Discovery, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Clinton E Canal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Mercer University Health Sciences Center, Mercer University, 3001 Mercer University Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, USA
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