Resting-state Functional Magnetic Resonance Research Of Health Volunteers: Before And After A Single Dose Of Alprazolam

Objective: To determine whether alprazolam changes the brain function in health volunteers, as well as relationship between changes in brain function and neuropsychological mechanism of the alprazolamMethod: 18 health volunteers participated in a random, double-blind, placebo-controlled design research. The volunteers took alprazolam 0.8mg or the same doses of placebo, all of them got two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans at baseline and half an hour after drugs. During the two MRI scans where they kept the resting-state . they were arranged for the Self- Rating depression Scale,Self -Rating Anxiety Scale,Hamilton depression Scale,(HAMD) Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA) , Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) ,letter-number span test, verbal fluency test, Stroop Color -Word Test; They received the trait-state anxiety scale before and after the scan. All the function MRI(fMRI) data are analysised with the regional homogeneity(ReHo ) method.Results: we found the increase regions in right medial frontal(BA6), the left precentral gyrus, the left superior frontal ,the left middle occipital(BA37) and the right limbic uncus in alprazolam group ,while the placebo group has no significant difference. The state anxiety scale scores of alprazolam group has no significant difference compared with placebo group , but the scores after drugs decreased whether in alprazolam group or placebo group.Conclusion: we can gain further insight into the Pharmacology of alprazolam through analyzing the data of resting-state brain function changes between the before and after intakeing the alprazolam ,as well as we found the frontal lobe, temporal lobe , occipital lobe are the important regions that the anxiolytic drugs act on neuropsychological mechanism and the brain function. Frontal-limbic system circuit plays a great role in the pathophysiology of the anxiety We are the first to research the resting-state fMRI after taking the alprazolam in health volunteers. The results may not only help to explain the increase regions associating with the anxiety disorder and the treatment binding site, but also to extent the application of the ReHo method, and provide the target site for new anxiolytics.