Effects of high amphetamine dose on mood and cerebral glucose metabolism in normal volunteers using positron emission tomography (PET).
The effects of high euphorigenic doses of D-amphetamine (0.9-1.0 mg/kg p.o.) on regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCMRglu) and psychological measures were investigated in 10 healthy human volunteers using a within-subject design and [F-18]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and a variety of psychological assessments. At the dose tested, D-amphetamine produced a mania-like syndrome concomitantly with a widespread increase in absolute cerebral metabolism, which was significant in the anterior cingulate cortex, caudate nucleus, putamen, and thalamus. An exploratory analysis revealed that: (1) certain aspects of this mania-like syndrome correlated positively with the metabolic changes seen in the frontal cortex, caudate nucleus and putamen; and (2) some of the amphetamine-induced changes in CMRglu correlated with D-amphetamine plasma levels. The present findings of cortical and subcortical increases in cerebral metabolism after D-amphetamine application in humans accord with previous studies in animals, demonstrating that relatively high doses of D-amphetamine (presumably at least 1 mg/kg) are needed to increase cerebral glucose metabolism.
Vollenweider
F X
FX
Research Department, Psychiatric University Hospital Zürich, Switzerland. vollen@bli.unizh.ch
Maguire
R P
RP
Leenders
K L
KL
Mathys
K
K
Angst
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects*; D005059:Euphoria / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D001786:Blood Glucose; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D003913:Dextroamphetamine