title: Healthy individuals treated with clomipramine: an fMRI study of brain activity during autobiographical recall of emotions.
abstract: Various functional magnetic resonance imaging studies addressed the effects of antidepressant drugs on brain functioning in healthy subjects; however, none specifically investigated positive mood changes to antidepressant drug. Sixteen subjects with no personal or family history of psychiatric disorders were selected from an ongoing 4-week open trial of small doses of clomipramine. Follow-up interviews documented clear positive treatment effects in six subjects, with reduced irritability and tension in social interactions, improved decision making, higher self-confidence and brighter mood. These subjects were then included in a placebo-controlled confirmatory trial and were scanned immediately after 4 weeks of clomipramine use and again 4 weeks after the last dose of clomipramine. The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans were run during emotion-eliciting stimuli. Repeated-measures analysis of variance of brain activity patterns showed significant interactions between group and treatment status during induced irritability (P<0.005 cluster-based) but not during happiness. Individuals displaying a positive subjective response do clomipramine had higher frontoparietal cortex activity during irritability than during happiness and neutral emotion, and higher temporo-parieto-occipital cortex activity during irritability than during happiness. We conclude that antidepressants not only induce positive mood responses but also act upon autobiographical recall of negative emotions.
authors.affiliation: Department and Institute of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Hospital das Clínicas, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Cerqueira
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Federal University of the ABC, Santo André, Brazil [2] Department and Institute of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: J R C
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.affiliation: Department and Institute of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Amaro
authors.affiliation: Department and Institute of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.affiliation: 1] Department and Institute of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Hospital das Clínicas, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil [2] Laboratory of Psychopharmacology (LIM 23), School of Medicine, USP, São Paulo, Brazil [3] Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, USP, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gorenstein
authors.affiliation: Department and Institute of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Hospital das Clínicas, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gentil
authors.affiliation: Department and Institute of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Hospital das Clínicas, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Busatto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002997:Clomipramine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010919:Placebos; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002997:Clomipramine; D010919:Placebos; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors