Overview

The Role of Serotonin in Compulsive Behavior in Humans: Underlying Brain Mechanisms

Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2024-08-01
Target enrollment:
0
Participant gender:
All
Summary
The aim of this project is to investigate: - The status of the central serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) system in compulsive behaviour and how it is affected by sub-chronic escitalopram administration - The mechanisms underlying how sub-chronic administration of escitalopram affects the central 5-HT system - How changes in cognitive performance, including the balance between habitual and goal-directed mechanisms, are affected in compulsive behaviour by boosting 5-HT function - How functional brain changes in cognitive function measured with magnetic resonance imaging relate to altered 5-HT function following escitalopram administration.
Phase:
Phase 4
Accepts Healthy Volunteers?
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Rigshospitalet, Denmark
Collaborators:
Lundbeck Foundation
University of Cambridge
Treatments:
Citalopram
Dexetimide
Serotonin
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

- OCD patients and healthy volunteers (male or female) between 18 and 70 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Current or previous neurological disease, severe somatic disease, or consumption of
medical drugs likely to influence the test results

- Non- fluent in Danish or pronounced visual or auditory impairments

- Current or past learning disability.

- Pregnancy (females).

- Lactation (females).

- Participation in experiments with radioactivity (> 10 mSv) within the last year or
significant occupational exposure to radioactivity.

- Contraindications for MRI (pacemaker, metal implants, etc.).

- Allergy to the ingredients in the administered drug.

- Abnormal ECG (e.g. prolonged QT syndrome).

- Dizzy when changing from supine to upright position (e.g. postural orthostatic
tachycardia syndrome).

- Mild hypotension (blood pressure below 100/70 mmHg) or hypertension (blood pressure
above 140/90 mmHg).

- Head injury or concussion resulting in loss of consciousness for more than 2 min.

- Alcohol or drug abuse

- Drug use other than tobacco and alcohol within the last 30 days.

- Hash > 50 x lifetime.

- Drugs > 10 x lifetime (for each substance).

- Current medication with serotonergic acting compounds. Use of other psychoactive
substances must be stable at least one month prior to inclusion and maintained
throughout the study.

- Severe physical impairments affecting eyesight or motor performance.

- For the OCD group: other Axis I mental disorder as primary diagnosis according to
ICD-10 criteria.

- For healthy volunteers: any current or former primary psychiatric disorder (Axis I WHO
ICD-10 diagnostic classification).