The effects of ketamine on functional brain networks in awake nonhuman primates and the therapeutic potential for treatment of substance abuse Pubblico

Maltbie, Eric (Fall 2017)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/vh53wv76t?locale=it
Published

Abstract

At present, there is considerable interest in improving the understanding of the unique effects of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor antagonist, ketamine. Sub-anesthetic infusions of ketamine induce acute psychotomimetic effects, but also produce prolonged neurobiological changes with therapeutic efficacy for treating depression in human subjects. However, the underlying mechanisms mediating these effects remain poorly understood. Building on the recent development of methodology allowing for the collection of quality pharmacological MRI (phMRI) data in awake nonhuman primates (NHPs), this dissertation examines the neural circuitry underlying both the psychotomimetic and therapeutic effects of ketamine. Ketamine induced robust and extensive brain activation and strengthened functional connectivity (FC) in several brain networks, including fronto-striatal circuitry known to be disrupted by cocaine. Subsequently, the efficacy of ketamine for the treatment of cocaine abuse was investigated. Ketamine pretreatment attenuated both the effects of cocaine on fronto-striatal (and whole-brain) FC and cocaine-seeking behavior. In conclusion, phMRI in awake NHPs enables valuable, behaviorally relevant translational imaging models. Ketamine increases FC in fronto-striatal circuits responsible for executive control over reward-based decision making and attenuates the effects of cocaine on both FC and behavior. These findings support the therapeutic potential of ketamine in the treatment of substance use disorders.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Ketamine and pharmacological imaging: use of functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate mechanisms of action    1

1.1 Context, Author’s Contribution, and Acknowledgement of Reproduction           2

1.2 Abstract                                                                                               2

1.3 Introduction                                                                                      3

           1.3.1 - Neural Mechanisms                                                                           4

1.4 Pharmacological Imaging Methods                                             6

             1.4.1 - Brain Activation                                                                                   7

             1.4.2 - Functional Connectivity                                                                    8

1.5 Pharmacological Imaging and the Behavioral Effects

of Ketamine                                                                                           10

           1.5.1 - Psychotomimetic effects                                                                     10

             1.5.2 - Antidepressant effects                                                                      19

1.6 Discussion                                                                                            21

1.7 Future Directions                                                                               23

             1.7.1 - phMRI and ketamine mechanism of action                               23

             1.7.2 - phMRI and translational models                                                   25

1.8 Conclusions                                                                                         27

1.9 Dissertation Overview                                                                      28

Chapter 2: Ketamine-induced effects on brain activation in conscious nonhuman primates         35

2.1 Context, Author’s Contribution, and Acknowledgement of Reproduction                                36

2.2 Abstract                                                                                              36

2.3 Introduction                                                                                       37

2.4 Materials and Methods                                                                     40

                      2.4.1 - Subjects                                                                             40

                          2.4.2 - MRI data acquisition                                                                       41

                          2.4.3 - Drug infusion protocols                                                                    42

                          2.4.4 - Pharmacological MRI data analysis                                          43

                          2.4.5 - Clinical ratings of behavior                                                           50

2.5 Results                                                                                                 51

                      2.5.1 - Blood plasma drug levels                                                                  51

                          2.5.2 - Ketamine-induced BOLD activation                                          51

                          2.5.3 - Reduction in ketamine-induced activation by risperidone pretreatment              52

2.5.4 - Ketamine-induced effects within a priori ROIs                           52

2.5.5 - ROI-averaged Group-mean Time Courses                               53

                          2.5.6 - Clinical ratings of behavior                                 53

2.6 Discussion                                                                                            53

Chapter 3: Ketamine-induced effects on functional connectivity in conscious nonhuman primates             69

3.1 Context, Author’s Contribution, and Acknowledgement of Reproduction            70

3.2 Abstract                                                                                               70

3.3 Introduction                                                                                       71

3.4 Materials and Methods                                                                    74

           3.4.1 - Subjects                                                                                                 74

                            3.4.2 - Drug infusion protocols                                                                 75

                            3.4.3 - fMRI Data Analysis                                                                          76

3.5 Results                                                                                                 79

           3.5.1 - Blood plasma drug levels                                                                  79

             3.5.2 - Ketamine-induced changes in FC to dlPFC                               79

             3.5.3 - Ketamine-induced changes in FC to SgC                                     80

             3.5.4 - Ketamine-induced changes in FC to Amygdala                             80

           3.5.5 - Ketamine-induced changes in FC to Nucleus Accumbens      81

             3.5.6 - Ketamine-induced changes in FC to other ROIs                           81

             3.5.7 - Ketamine-induced inter-hemispheric asymmetry in FC networks                    82

3.6 Discussion                                                                                            83

           3.6.1 - Insights into the results of the ketamine drug infusion phMRI study                                           86

             3.6.2 - Limitations                                                                                         86

3.7 Conclusions                                                                                         88

Chapter 4: Effects of ketamine treatment on cocaine-induced changes to functional connectivity in conscious nonhuman primates    107

4.1 Context, Author’s Contribution, and Acknowledgement of Reproduction   108

4.2 Abstract                                                                                             108

4.3 Introduction                                                                                      110

4.4 Methods                                                                                              112

4.4.1 - Subjects                                                                                                112

                          4.4.2 - Surgery and habituation to MRI                              112

4.4.3 - MRI data acquisition                                                                     113

4.4.4 - Drug infusion protocol                                                                    113

4.4.5 - fMRI Data Quality Control                                                            114

4.4.6 - Ketamine treatment                                                                         114

4.4.7 - fMRI preprocessing and spatial normalization                           114

4.4.8 - FC analysis                                                                                          115

4.4.9 - Data Analysis                                                                                    116

4.4.10 - Cocaine Self-administration                                                       116

4.4.11 - Experimental timeline                                                                    116

4.5 Results                                                                                                117

           4.5.1 - Acute cocaine administration robustly decreased FC         117

             4.5.2 - Ketamine pretreatment attenuated cocaine-induced changes in FC                118

4.5.3 - The effects of cocaine on FC predicted response rates during self- administration              119

4.5.4 - Chronic cocaine self-administration robustly decreased FC                      119

4.5.5 - Acute effects of cocaine on FC following chronic self-administration          120

4.5.6 - Effects of ketamine pretreatment on FC after self-administration            121

4.5.7 - Individual subject results for dlPFC-NAcc FC                           122

4.6 Discussion                                                                                           123

4.6.1 - Limitations                                                                                          126

4.7 Conclusions                                                                                        127

Chapter 5: Investigating the effects of ketamine treatment on reinstatement and reacquisition of cocaine self-administration in rhesus monkeys       138

5.1 Context, Author’s Contribution, and Acknowledgement of Reproduction      139

5.2 Abstract                                                                                               139

5.3 Introduction                                                                                       140

5.4 Methods                                                                                              142

5.4.1 - Subjects                                                                                                 142

                            5.4.2 - Surgery                                                                      142

5.4.3 - Cocaine self-administration                                                          143

5.4.4 - Ketamine treatment                                                                          144

5.4.5 - Reinstatement                                                                                     144

5.4.6 - Reacquisition                                                                                      145

5.4.7 - Data analysis                                                                                      146

5.5 Results                                                                                                 146

           5.5.1 - Self-administration                                                                           146

             5.5.2 - Reinstatement                                                                                   147

             5.5.3 - Reacquisition                                                                                     148

5.6 Discussion                                                                                          149

Chapter 6: Clinical use of ketamine, future directions, and

limitations                                                                                                            158

           6.1 - Results Summary                                                                            159

           6.2 - Clinical use of sub-anesthetic ketamine treatment                       163

           6.3 - Future directions for translational models using phMRI in awake NHPs              164

           6.4 - Limitations                                                                                       165

           6.5 - Conclusions                                                                                     167

Appendix: Complete list of publications to which the author has contributed during his graduate training     168

References                                                                                                            169

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