NCT02801643

The Impact of Reward-induced Dopamine Release on Functional Connectivity: a Combined PET/fMRI Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 5 (actual)
• Sponsor: Stony Brook University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 45 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The present study would be the first to investigate the relationship between reward- and or social stimuli-induced dopamine (DA) release and neural function using a combined PET/fMRI approach. Data from this project conducted in healthy subjects will provide preliminary data for a larger grant application to study patient populations with known abnormalities in DA including schizophrenia, major depressive, substance use, and eating disorders.

Detailed description

Aim 1. To test the relationship between reward-induced dopamine (DA) release on changes in resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) in healthy subjects. In 20 healthy adults, the investigators will examine DA release (measured using positron emission tomography, PET) in the ventral striatum, thalamus, and prefrontal cortex, as previously described. Before and after the task the investigators will examine RSFC (measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI) between these structures, which have been shown to form functional pathways serving motivation and emotion regulation in rodents and nonhuman primates. The investigators hypothesize that DA release will impact the functional relationship between these and other structures as determined by changes in RSFC. Aim 2. To examine the relationship between dopamine release and the Reward Positivity (RewP) potential. Subjects will be presented with the option to participate in an event-related potential (ERP) study. The investigators will correlate the amount of DA release with the amplitude of the RewP potential, an ERP that is enhanced in reward versus non-reward circumstances. Based on previous studies, the investigators hypothesize that RewP amplitude will positively correlate with dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens.

Conditions

• Healthy

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-06-01
• Primary completion: 2017-12-01
• Completion: 2017-12-01
• First posted: 2016-06-16
• Last updated: 2018-04-17

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States