Increased left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex density following escitalopram intake during relearning: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in healthy humans

Autor: Thomas Vanicek, Murray B. Reed, René Seiger, Godber M. Godbersen, Manfred Klöbl, Jakob Unterholzner, Benjamin Spurny-Dworak, Gregor Gryglewski, Patricia Handschuh, Clemens Schmidt, Christoph Kraus, Thomas Stimpfl, Rainer Rupprecht, Siegfried Kasper, Rupert Lanzenberger
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, Vol 12 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2045-1261
20451253
DOI: 10.1177/20451253221132085
Popis: Background: Serotonergic agents affect brain plasticity and reverse stress-induced dendritic atrophy in key fronto-limbic brain areas associated with learning and memory. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate effects of the antidepressant escitalopram on gray matter during relearning in healthy individuals to inform a model for depression and the neurobiological processes of recovery. Design: Randomized double blind placebo control, monocenter study. Methods: In all, 76 (44 females) healthy individuals performed daily an associative learning task with emotional or non-emotional content over a 3-week period. This was followed by a 3-week relearning period (randomly shuffled association within the content group) with concurrent daily selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (i.e., 10 mg escitalopram) or placebo intake. Results: Via voxel-based morphometry and only in individuals that developed sufficient escitalopram blood levels over the 21-day relearing period, an increased density of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was found. When investigating whether there was an interaction between relearning and drug intervention for all participants, regardless of escitalopram levels, no changes in gray matter were detected with either surfaced-based or voxel-based morphometry analyses. Conclusion: The left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex affects executive function and emotional processing, and is a critical mediator of symptoms and treatment outcomes of depression. In line, the findings suggest that escitalopram facilitates neuroplastic processes in this region if blood levels are sufficient. Contrary to our hypothesis, an effect of escitalopram on brain structure that is dependent of relearning content was not detected. However, this may have been a consequence of the intensity and duration of the interventions. Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02753738; Trial Name: Enhancement of learning associated neural plasticity by Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02753738 .
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