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Effect of a single dose of citalopram on amygdala response to emotional faces

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Susannah E. Murphy ,
Raymond Norbury ,
Ursula O'Sullivan ,
Philip J. Cowen  and
Catherine J. Harmer
Susannah E. Murphy*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford
Raymond Norbury
Affiliation:
University of Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford
Ursula O'Sullivan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
Philip J. Cowen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
Catherine J. Harmer
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
*
Dr Susannah Murphy, Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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Background

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are typically thought to have a delay of several weeks in the onset of their clinical effects. However, recent reports suggest they may have a much earlier therapeutic onset. A reduction in amygdala responsivity has been implicated in the therapeutic action of SSRIs.

Aims

To investigate the effect of a single dose of an SSRI on the amygdala response to emotional faces.

Method

Twenty-six healthy volunteers were randomised to receive a single oral dose of citalopram (20 mg) or placebo. Effects on the processing of facial expressions were assessed 3 h later using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Results

Volunteers treated with citalopram displayed a significantly reduced amygdala response to fearful facial expressions compared with placebo.

Conclusions

Such an immediate effect of an SSRI on amygdala responses to threat supports the idea that antidepressants have an earlier onset of therapeutically relevant effects than conventionally thought.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 194 , Issue 6 , June 2009 , pp. 535 - 540
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NC
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits noncommercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2009

Footnotes

This research was funded by a Wellcome Trust studentship.

Declaration of interest

None.

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