Neurochemical underpinning of hemodynamic response to neuropsychiatric drugs: A meta- and cluster analysis of preclinical studies

J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2021 Apr;41(4):874-885. doi: 10.1177/0271678X20916003. Epub 2020 Apr 11.

Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an extensively used method for the investigation of normal and pathological brain function. In particular, fMRI has been used to characterize spatiotemporal hemodynamic response to pharmacological challenges as a non-invasive readout of neuronal activity. However, the mechanisms underlying regional signal changes are yet unclear. In this study, we use a meta-analytic approach to converge data from microdialysis experiments with relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) changes following acute administration of neuropsychiatric drugs in adult male rats. At whole-brain level, the functional response patterns show very weak correlation with neurochemical alterations, while for numerous brain areas a strong positive correlation with noradrenaline release exists. At a local scale of individual brain regions, the rCBV response to neurotransmitters is anatomically heterogeneous and, importantly, based on a complex interplay of different neurotransmitters that often exert opposing effects, thus providing a mechanism for regulating and fine tuning hemodynamic responses in specific regions.

Keywords: Pharmacological MRI; meta-analysis; microdialysis; rat brain.

Publication types

  • Meta-Analysis
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain Chemistry / drug effects*
  • Cerebrovascular Circulation / drug effects*
  • Hemodynamics / drug effects*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Microdialysis
  • Psychotropic Drugs / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Psychotropic Drugs