Neurexan® influences stress-induced activity of the anterior cingulate cortex and associated brain regions
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1
Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany
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2
Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Translational Psychiatry, Germany
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3
Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Psychiatry, Germany
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4
Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH, Germany
Background: Neurexan®, a medicinal product sold over the counter (OTC), is composed of four ingredients, Passiflora incarnata (passionflower), Avena sativa (oats), Coffea arabica (coffee) and Zincum isovalerianicum (zinc valerianate). Neurexan® has been investigated in patients with symptoms related to acute stress, nervousness/restlessness, and insomnia. The underlying neuronal mechanisms that lead to the reduction of those symptoms are less clear. Two areas of importance in stress reaction are the anterior cingulated cortex (ACC) as well as the Amygdala. Previous studies showed that especially the dorsal ACC (dACC) influences the generation of autonomic arousal. Similarly it was reported that electrical stimulation of the ACC leads to changed physiological processes like heart rate and blood pressure. Additionally it was found that the dACC is activated under cognitive stress. Thus the dACC seems to be an important area controlling stress reactivity. We hypothesize Neurexan to induce changes in the activation of dACC and associated areas during a stress task.
Method: The drug effect of a single dose was investigated using a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, two-period-crossover design. 36 male subjects between the ages of 31 to 59 took part in the experiment and completed various fMRI tasks. The stress response was induced using the ScanSTRESS (Streit et al., 2014), which uses arithmetic tasks as well as mental rotation tasks. Additionally the stress response was measured by saliva cortisol concentration and visual analogue scales (VAS) for nervousness and anxiety.
Results: Paired-t-test analysis showed a significant cluster in the region of interest right dACC in the contrast placebo > verum in rotation stress > rotation control after correcting for multiple testing in the ROI. Additionally correlations with relevant psychological and endocrine measures will be reported.
Conclusion: The intake of single dose of Neurexan® significantly reduces right dACC activation during psychosocial stress compared to the intake of placebo.
References
Streit, F., Haddad, L., Paul, T., Frank, J., Schäfer, A., Nikitopoulos, J., ... & Meyer-Lindenberg, A. (2014). A functional variant in the neuropeptide S receptor 1 gene moderates the influence of urban upbringing on stress processing in the amygdala. Stress, 17(4), 352-361.
Keywords:
stress,
fMRI,
dACC,
Natural pharmaceutical,
psychosocial stress
Conference:
ISAD LONDON 2017: Perspectives on Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Looking to the future, London, United Kingdom, 6 Jul - 7 Jul, 2017.
Presentation Type:
Poster
Topic:
Pharmacological / Somatic treatments
Citation:
Kuehnel
A,
Fensky
L,
Teckentrup
V,
Fan
Y,
Schultz
M and
Walter
M
(2019). Neurexan® influences stress-induced activity of the anterior cingulate cortex and associated brain regions.
Front. Psychiatry.
Conference Abstract:
ISAD LONDON 2017: Perspectives on Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Looking to the future.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fpsyt.2017.48.00010
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Received:
26 May 2017;
Published Online:
25 Jan 2019.
*
Correspondence:
Ms. Anne Kuehnel, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany, annekuehnel@canlab.de