The Role of Serotonin in Compulsive Behavior in Humans: Underlying Brain Mechanisms
- Conditions
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/High Compulsive IndividualsHealthy Individuals
- Interventions
- Drug: Placebo oral tablet
- Registration Number
- NCT04336228
- Lead Sponsor
- Rigshospitalet, Denmark
- Brief 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.
- Detailed Description
Previous studies have shown that 5-HT is strongly implicated in compulsive behaviours in experimental animals. Manipulation of 5-HT influences neuronal interactions underlying action selection. Reduced forebrain 5-HT causes perseveration and impairs goal-directed behaviour under reward but not punishment. Dysfunctional 5-HT neurotransmission has also been implicated in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) based on the selective efficacy of relatively high doses of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in treating this disorder. Hitherto, it is unknown whether there is a primary defect in the serotonergic system or whether SSRIs ameliorate symptoms by modulating other brain neurotransmitter pathways. So far, only one study of central 5-HT release in OCD patients has been conducted and its methodology may be questioned.
A number of behavioural and cognitive features of OCD, including endophenotype markers that appear to characterise the disorder have been determined. These include a shift in cognitive control from a goal-directed strategy to a habitual (stimulus-response, S-R) strategy, cognitive rigidity in terms of both reversal learning and attentional set-shifting, impaired response inhibition and planning, and a tendency to over-respond to spurious negative feedback in a probabilistic learning paradigm. Neural substrates of these deficits are being investigated using brain imaging methodologies based on magnetic resonance and preliminary evidence suggests an over-active medial prefrontal cortex-caudate nucleus circuits and underactive lateral prefrontal cortex-putamen circuits. However, little evidence exists that relates to the hypothesis of an over-active habit system in this disorder or to the role of serotonin in all these cognitive and behavioural deficits observed in OCD and compulsivity in general.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 46
- Individuals with high scores on obsessive-compulsive traits (with or without a diagnosis of OCD established by a psychiatrist) and healthy volunteers (male or female) between 18 and 70 years. Compulsive individuals without an OCD diagnosis are individuals without a history of psychiatric or other major medical conditions but scoring abnormally high on the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI) questionnaire.
- 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
- Lactation
- 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).
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Healthy Control Group Placebo oral tablet The healthy placebo control group will be administered the exact same procedure as the intervention group, the only difference being that this group will be administered a placebo tablet. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / High Compulsivity Control Group Placebo oral tablet The OCD/high compulsivity placebo control group will be administered the exact same procedure as the intervention group, the only difference being that this group will be administered a placebo tablet. Healthy Intervention Group Escitalopram The healthy intervention group will be administered 20mg of Escitalopram daily for 3-4 weeks. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / High Compulsivity Intervention Group Escitalopram The OCD/high compulsivity intervention group will be administered 20mg of Escitalopram daily for 3-4 weeks.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Learning Primary Outcome 2 measured with Probability Reversal Learning test: Mean errors Stage 2 (Reversal) 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Habit formation outcome 3: confidence and enjoyable rates. 3 Years Daily app training paradigm
Learning Primary Outcome 1 measured with Probability Reversal Learning test: Mean errors Stage 1 (Learning) 3 years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Inhibition Primary Outcome 1 measured with Interleaved Stop Signal Task/Go-NoGo: Stop Signal Reaction Time 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains.
Flexibility Primary Outcome 1 measured with 3Dimensional Intra/Extra Dimensional Shift test: Extra Dimensional Set Errors 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains.
Flexibility Primary Outcome 2 measured with Sequential model-based model-free test: Model-based Model-free Weight 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains.
Emotion Recognition Primary Outcome 1 measures with EMOTICOM Intensity Morphing: Affective bias in decreasing condition 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Emotion Recognition Primary Outcome 3 measured with EMOTICOM Intensity Morphing task: Detection threshold decreasing 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Learning Primary Outcome 3 measured with Deterministic Reversal Learning test: Percent correct per stage 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Emotion Recognition Primary Outcome 2 measured with EMOTICOM Emotion Recognition Task: Affective bias for D' 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Positron emission tomography (PET) Imaging: Cerebral [11C]SB207145 PET binding. 3 Years Collected before and after participant's intervention.
Neural Activations and Correlations measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm named Cohabit 3 Years Imaging outcomes will be Family-Wise Error (FWE) corrected using Random Field Theory as implemented in SPM12Co-habit fMRI paradigm Imaging outcomes will be FWE corrected using Random Field Theory as implemented in SPM12.
Social Cognition Primary Outcome 1 measured with EMOTICOM Moral Emotions Task: Agent Guilt Score 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Social Cognition Primary Outcome 2 measured with EMOTICOM Moral Emotions Task: Agent Shame Score 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. The false discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Emotion Recognition Primary Outcome 4 measured with EMOTICOM Emotion Recognition task: D'Prime for emotion recognition 3 Years Emotion Recognition Task. Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Memory Primary Outcome 1 measured with CANTAB Paired Associates Learning: Total Errors Adj 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Biofluids 3 Years Serum Escitalopram levels
Neural Activations and Correlations measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm named Slip of Actions 3 Years Imaging outcomes will be Family-Wise Error (FWE) corrected using Random Field Theory as implemented in SPM12.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging MRI 3 Years Habit formation outcome 1: response times for each day of training 3 Years Daily app training paradigm
Habit formation outcome 2: mean errors per sequence and moves 3 Years Daily app training paradigm
Neural Activations and Correlations measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm named Faces 3 Years Imaging outcomes will be Family-Wise Error (FWE) corrected using Random Field Theory as implemented in SPM12.
Resting State fMRI 3 Years Imaging outcomes will be Family-Wise Error (FWE) corrected using Random Field Theory as implemented in SPM12.
Structural Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) MRI 3 Years Imaging outcomes will be Family-Wise Error (FWE) corrected using Random Field Theory as implemented in SPM12.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Learning Secondary Outcome 2 measured with Probability Reversal Learning test: Stage 1 Reward/Punishment learning 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Learning Secondary Outcome 4 measured with Probability Reversal Learning test: Stage 2 Reward-Stay/ Lose-Shift behaviour 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Learning Secondary Outcome 5 measured with Probability Reversal Learning test: Stage 2 Reward/Punishment learning 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Learning Secondary Outcome 7 measured with Deterministic Reversal Learning test: Reward-Stay/ Lose-Shift behaviour 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Behavioural outcomes with Faces and geometric figure discrimination Outcome 2 measured with fMRI faces paradigm: Response Speed 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Learning Secondary Outcome 6 measured with Probability Reversal Learning test: Stage 2. Stimulus Stickiness 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Learning Secondary Outcome 1 measured with Probability Reversal Learning test: Stage 1 Reward-Stay/Lose-Shift behaviour 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Learning Secondary Outcome 3 measured with Probability Reversal Learning test: Stage 1. Stimulus Stickiness 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Inhibition Secondary Outcome 2 measured with Interleaved Stop Signal Task/Go-NoGo: Go omission error rate 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Emotion Recognition Secondary Outcome 3 measured with EMOTICOM Emotion Recognition Task: Affective bias for Hit Rate 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Flexibility Secondary Outcome 2 measured with Sequential Model-Based/Model-Free test: Exploration 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Flexibility Secondary Outcome 3 measured with Sequential Model-Based/Model-Free test: Stimulus Stickiness 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Flexibility Secondary Outcome 5 measured with 3Dimensional Intra/Extra Dimensional Shift test: Pre Extra Dimension Set Errors 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Flexibility Secondary Outcome 6 measured with 3Dimensional Intra/Extra Dimensional Shift test: Latency 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Inhibition Secondary Outcome 4 measured with Interleaved Stop Signal Task/Go-NoGo: No-Go error rate 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Emotion Recognition Secondary Outcome 4 measured with EMOTICOM Emotion Recognition Task.: Hit Rate for Emotion Recognition 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Behavioural outcomes with fMRI paradigm Co-habit: accuracy and latency. 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
State and Trait Aggression Questionnaire Score 3 Years Visual Analogue Scale Score 3 Years Executive Function Secondary Outcome 1 measured with 3Dimensional Intra/Extra Dimensional Shift test: Total Errors Adjusted 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Memory Outcome 2 measured with Letter-number sequencing test: Total score 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Risky Decision Making Outcome 3 measured with EMOTICOM Cambridge Gamble Task: Overall Proportion Bet 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Risky Decision Making Outcome 4 measured with EMOTICOM Cambridge Gamble Task: Deliberation Time 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) Score 3 Years Flexibility Secondary Outcome 1 measured with Sequential Model-Based/Model-Free test: Proportion of Stays 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Inhibition Secondary Outcome 1 measured with Interleaved Stop Signal Task/Go-NoGo: Go reaction time 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Inhibition Secondary Outcome 3 measured with Interleaved Stop Signal Task/Go-NoGo: Go commission error rate 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Emotion Recognition Secondary Outcome 1 measured with EMOTICOM Intensity Morphing Task: Detection threshold increasing 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Emotion Recognition Secondary Outcome 2 measured with EMOTICOM Intensity Morphing Task: Affective bias in increasing condition 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Memory Primary outcome 3 measured with Verbal Affective Memory Test-26: Latent variable model of the association between positive, negative and neutral word recall and 5-HT4R binding 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Flexibility Secondary Outcome 4 measured with Sequential Model-Based/Model-Free test: Learning rate 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Faces and geometric figure discrimination Outcome 1 measured with fMRI faces paradigm: Accuracy 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Behavioural outcomes with fMRI paradigm slip of Actions : accuracy and latency 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Psychomotor Speed Outcome 1 measured with CANTAB Reaction Time Task: Simple reaction time 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Obsessive- Compulsive Inventory (OCI)- state Score 3 Years Risky Decision Making Outcome Outcome 1 measured with EMOTICOM Cambridge Gamble Task: Quality of Decision Making 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Risky Decision Making Outcome 2 measured with EMOTICOM Cambridge Gamble Task: Risk Adjustment 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-State Score 3 Years Memory Outcome 1 measured with CANTAB Paired Associates Learning test: First Trial Memory Score 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain.
Obsessive- Compulsive Inventory- trait Score 3 Years State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Scale Score 3 Years Contain 40-items
Intelligence Quotient (IQ) outcome 1 measured with Reynolds Intellectual assessment Scales subtest "guess what" and "what does not fit": Total age adjusted score 3 Years Outcome variables have been grouped a priori into carefully defined cognitive domains. False discovery rate (FDR) correction, for multiple comparisons, using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure will be applied to the outcomes within each cognitive domain
Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) Score 3 Years Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Score 3 Years Profile of Mood State Score 3 Years Beck Depression Inventory-II Score 3 Years Contain 21-items, scored on a scale value of 0 to 3
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Neurobiology Research Unit, Rigshospitalet
🇩🇰Copenhagen, Denmark