Advanced Functional and Structural MRI Techniques for Neuropharmacological Imaging

Summary

Background:

\- Functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques have allowed researchers to map and study how the brain works when at rest and when engaged in specific tasks. MRI scans have provided more information about how drugs affect the brain, and about how drug addiction changes the brain and influences behavior, mood, and thinking processes. To better understand the underlying mechanism of drug addiction and to develop strategies for more effective treatment, researchers are interested in developing new MRI techniques to study the effects of addiction on the brain.

Objectives:

\- To develop new functional and structural MRI techniques, and to evaluate their potential use in brain imaging studies related to addiction.

Eligibility:

* Individuals between 18 and 80 years of age.
* Participants may be smokers or nonsmokers, and may use drugs or not use drugs.

Design:

* During the initial screening, participants will complete questionnaires about family and personal history, drug use, and other information as required by the researchers. Participants who will be asked to complete tasks during the MRI scan will be shown how to perform these tasks before the scanning session.
* Before each study session, participants may be asked to complete some or all of the following: questions about their drug use during the last week, a breathalyzer test, a urine drug-use assessment, a urine pregnancy test, or a measure of carbon monoxide. Participants will also provide blood samples before the start of the scan.
* For each scanning session, participants will have an MRI scan that will last approximately 2 hours.
* MRI scans may include specific tasks to be performed during the scan, or an experiment that studies the brain's response to carbon dioxide....

Conditions

• Drug Abuse
• Nicotine Dependence

Interventions

DEVICE

MagPro X100 Magnetic Stimulator

Concurrent TMS-MRI acquisition allows us to investigate the acute effects of induced brain activity on BOLD signal and evaluate interference of the TMS pulse with the BOLD signal measurement.

DEVICE

Transcranial Rotating Magnetic Stimulator

Participants will undergo transcranial rapid rotating permanent magnetic stimulation (TRPMS), with the aim of evaluating the prolonged effect of TRPMS on motor cortex excitability. In another experiment, participants will undergo TRPMS with the aim of evaluating cortical excitability changes with TRPMS. These experiments will help interpret subsequent experiments investigating the effect of TRPMS on BOLD signal.

DEVICE

Magnetom Prisma Fit 3T Scanner

Type: MRI Name: Magnetom Prisma Fit 3T Scanner (Siemens) Description: Functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging techniques are used for noninvasive mapping of brain physiology and pathology and to develop advanced magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy (MRI and MRS) techniques for neuroimaging studies related to addiction.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

  lead NIH

Principal Investigators

• Yihong Yang, Ph.D. · National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2003-10-24

Primary Completion

2029-12-31

Completion

2029-12-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations