Background: Functional imaging studies have examined the neural circuitry of subjects with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and the changes associated with oral treatment. However, the effect of intravenous (IV) serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) on neuronal activation has not been investigated in OCD subjects, even though IV SRIs have been shown to be more effective than oral pharmacotherapy.
Methods: Six OCD and 6 control subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while receiving infusions of citalopram and placebo, in a randomized, crossover design.
Results: Compared to controls, OCD subjects exhibited hyperactivation of the orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex while looking at symptom provoking pictures at baseline. However, after the citalopram infusion, patients displayed attenuations of these regions, which correlated with reductions in subjective anxiety ratings.
Conclusion: The effects observed after the IV citalopram infusion are similar to modulations observed after prolonged oral pharmacotherapy trials, illustrating the benefits of IV SRIs.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/33338 |
| Date | 21 November 2012 |
| Creators | Bhikram, Tracy Prema |
| Contributors | Ravindran, Arun |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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