fMRI in Resting State as a Radiological Tool in Pharmaceutic Research: An Experimental Clinical Trial with Alprazolam

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to highlight the presence of modifications in the Default Mode Network (DMN) detected by means of fMRI in Resting State after the administration of a neurotropic drug, the Alprazolam, and therefore to suggest fMRI as an alternative and non invasive tool for future pharmacological experimentations in vivo. METHOD AND MATERIALS: 11 healthy subjects (5 males; mean age: 32 years) were enrolled in a double-blind randomized study. They received Alprazolam or placebo and underwent two fMRI scans each. Data were acquired at 1.5 T (Magnetom Symphony, Siemens, Enlargen, Germany). Functional connectivity and activation maps were obtained by means of independent component analysis using FSL (FMRIB software Library 4.1, Oxford, UK). A F-test (p<0.05) was applied in order to detect statistical differences between groups and Dual-Regression (p<0.05) permitted to obtain spatial maps defining the between-subject group-consistency. RESULTS: The reproducibility of fMRI in Resting State was demonstrated with a consistent detection of DMN in all subjects and all conditions, furthermore a statistically non-significant difference between baselines was found (p