7T Amygdala and Citalopram Study

Last updated: February 19, 2025
Sponsor: University of Oxford
Overall Status: Active - Recruiting

Phase

N/A

Condition

Depression

Emotional Processing

Affective Disorders

Treatment

Citalopram

Placebo

Clinical Study ID

NCT06412315
7T_Amygdala_Citalopram
  • Ages 18-40
  • All Genders
  • Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Summary

The goal of this study is to investigate how a common antidepressant citalopram (which increases the levels of the chemical messenger serotonin), affects how a key area of the brain involved in depression (the amygdala) responds to emotional information.

Healthy participants will undergo medical and psychiatric health screening, after which they will be assigned to receive either a single dose of citalopram (20mg) or placebo, and undergo brain scanning (7T fMRI) whilst viewing emotional faces. Since the scan uses high field strength, the investigators will be able to see effects of citalopram on different subfields within the amygdala which will help to understand how citalopram might be working.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for participation in theresearch

  • Sufficiently fluent English to understand and complete the task

Exclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants with ferromagnetic objects in their bodies (e.g. metal implants, vesselclips, shrapnel injuries) or with implanted devices which may be damaged by themagnet (e.g. heart pacemakers)

  • Any other MRI contraindication following MRI safety screening

  • History or current significant psychiatric illness (like major depressive disorder)

  • Current or past diagnosis of any significant personality disorder (e.g. borderlinepersonality disorder) according to self-report

  • Diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactive disorder or autistic spectrum disorderthat impairs daily functioning, requires pharmacotherapy or in the opinion of thestudy medic would affect the scientific integrity of the study

  • Currently or within last 3 months taking psychoactive medications (requires furtherdiscussion with researcher)

  • Current or within the last 3 months use of medication that might interact with theeffects of citalopram or affect the scientific integrity of the study

  • Known contraindication to citalopram including: past allergic reaction to citalopramor any other medicines, diagnosis of a cardiovascular condition, glaucoma, type 1 ortype 2 diabetes, diagnosis of epilepsy, previous diagnosis of angle-closureglaucoma, or current use of any other medication whose use interacts with citalopram (according to British National Formulary (BNF) guidance) e.g. associated withprolonged QT-interval

  • Any other current or past medical conditions which in the opinion of the study medicmay interfere with the safety of the participant or the scientific integrity of thestudy including epilepsy/seizures, brain injury, hepatic or renal disease, diabetes,severe gastro-intestinal problems, Central Nervous System (CNS) tumours,neurological conditions

  • Clinically significant abnormal values for urine drug screen, pulse, and bloodpressure measurement (in accordance with Best Practice Guidance 13: 'Non-invasivemeasurement of blood pressure'). A participant with a clinical abnormality orparameters outside the reference range for the population being studied may beincluded only if the Investigator considers that the finding is unlikely tointroduce additional risk factors and will not interfere with the study procedures

  • Current alcohol or substance misuse disorder

  • Body Mass Index under 18 and over 30

  • Pregnant or planning a pregnancy, or breast feeding

  • Previously taken part in a study that used similar computer tasks (MRI faces task,emotional test battery) as those in the present study

  • Participation in a study that involves the use of a psychoactive medication or brainstimulation within the last three months

  • Use of recreational drugs (e.g. cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines) within last threemonths

  • Smoking > 5 cigarettes per day, or vape a comparable amount (> 0.5ml / a quarter ofa 2ml vape);

  • Typically drinks > 6 caffeinated drinks per day (e.g. tea, coffee, coca cola, RedBull)

  • Participant is unlikely to comply with the clinical study protocol or is unsuitablefor any other reason, in the opinion of the Investigator

Study Design

Total Participants: 50
Treatment Group(s): 2
Primary Treatment: Citalopram
Phase:
Study Start date:
February 13, 2025
Estimated Completion Date:
October 31, 2026

Study Description

Antidepressants typically decrease amygdala response to negative stimuli while enhancing response to positive stimuli, but it is unclear at a mechanistic level how increasing serotonin would have this opposing effect. One hypothesis is that although positive and negative cues activate the same area at a global level, more detailed characterisation may reveal key differences in processing in terms of localisation or response function. Until now, due to methodological restriction, the amygdala has been mostly studied as a single structure. It is however known that it consists of a number of subfields, which are likely to play distinct roles in emotional processing. In this study the investigators will make use of 7T fMRI scanning to study the effects of a single dose (20 mg) of citalopram (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, SSRI) on these subfields during emotional face processing, allowing greater precision to identify underlying neural mechanisms underpinning psychological effects.

Connect with a study center

  • University of Oxford, Department of Psychiatry

    Oxford, Oxfordshire OX37JX
    United Kingdom

    Active - Recruiting

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