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

© The Author(s), 2022..

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.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2022

Erschienen:

2022

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:12

Enthalten in:

Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology - 12(2022) vom: 15., Seite 20451253221132085

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Vanicek, Thomas [VerfasserIn]
Reed, Murray B [VerfasserIn]
Seiger, René [VerfasserIn]
Godbersen, Godber M [VerfasserIn]
Klöbl, Manfred [VerfasserIn]
Unterholzner, Jakob [VerfasserIn]
Spurny-Dworak, Benjamin [VerfasserIn]
Gryglewski, Gregor [VerfasserIn]
Handschuh, Patricia [VerfasserIn]
Schmidt, Clemens [VerfasserIn]
Kraus, Christoph [VerfasserIn]
Stimpfl, Thomas [VerfasserIn]
Rupprecht, Rainer [VerfasserIn]
Kasper, Siegfried [VerfasserIn]
Lanzenberger, Rupert [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Associative learning
Depression model
Escitalopram
Journal Article
Neuroplasticity
Relearning
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 15.03.2023

published: Electronic-eCollection

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02753738

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.1177/20451253221132085

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM349331952