Bupropion Administration Increases Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Dorso-Medial Prefrontal Cortex.
Patients on the selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitors like citalopram report emotional blunting. We showed previously that citalopram reduces resting-state functional connectivity in healthy volunteers in a number of brain regions, including the dorso-medial prefrontal cortex, which may be related to its clinical effects. Bupropion is a dopaminergic and noradrenergic reuptake inhibitor and is not reported to cause emotional blunting. However, how bupropion affects resting-state functional connectivity in healthy controls remains unknown.



Using a within-subjects, repeated-measures, double-blind, crossover design, we examined 17 healthy volunteers (9 female, 8 male). Volunteers received 7 days of bupropion (150 mg/d) and 7 days of placebo treatment and underwent resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. We selected seed regions in the salience network (amygdala and pregenual anterior cingulate cortex) and the central executive network (dorsal medial prefrontal cortex). Mood and anhedonia measures were also recorded and examined in relation to resting-state functional connectivity.



Relative to placebo, bupropion increased resting-state functional connectivity in healthy volunteers between the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex seed region and the posterior cingulate cortex and the precuneus cortex, key parts of the default mode network.



These results are opposite to that which we found with 7 days treatment of citalopram in healthy volunteers. These results reflect a different mechanism of action of bupropion compared with selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitors. These results help explain the apparent lack of emotional blunting caused by bupropion in depressed patients.
School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, UK.
Ewelina
E
Rzepa
School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, UK.
Zola
Z
Dean
School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, UK.
Ciara
C
McCabe
D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects; D000679:Amygdala / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D059445:Anhedonia / Q000187:drug effects; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016642:Bupropion / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D012146:Rest; D055815:Young Adult
D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D016642:Bupropion; D010100:Oxygen
antidepressant; bupropion; depression; functional connectivity; resting-state