Currently available pharmacological treatments for many neuropsychiatric diseases are still limited in efficacy and safety, requiring new approaches in drug development for central nervous system (CNS) disorders. The development of efficient CNS drugs has been recognized as highly challenging, due to the extreme complexity of the brain and the difficulty to cross the blood-brain barrier. In this context, functional neuroimaging appears as a promising way to address these challenges by monitoring brain activity and its changes following any drug administration, without the requirement of a specific contrast agent. Over the years, the technological developments to understand brain function have made it possible to probe brain activity at multiple spatiotemporal scales through different quantitative parameters that can be used to evaluate drugs effects, both in living animals and humans, providing a way to select the most promising compounds or to refine our understanding of drugs mechanisms of action in a pathological context.
The aim of this research topic is to highlight the interest of functional neuroimaging to understand the effects of CNS drugs in vivo, in animals or humans and in physiological or pathological conditions. The research topic should not only be related to the methodological aspects of functional neuroimaging but should also include various practical examples of studies focusing on pharmacological or pathophysiological questions that are of interest for the field of neuropharmacology. Ideally, the topic should cover multiple technologies that are used for studying brain activity at different spatial and temporal scales, in animals or in humans.
The scope of this research topic is focused on the in vivo measurement of brain activity for studying CNS drugs, in animals or in humans. As such, contributions using the following techniques are welcome:
- Hemodynamic measurements using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), positron emission tomography with 15O-labeled tracers, functional ultrasound imaging (fUS), or other approaches.
- Metabolic measurements such as positron emission tomography using 18F-FDG.
- Electrophysiological measurements using local or brain-wide approaches, such as electroencephalography (EEG), electrocorticography (ECoG), local field potential or high-density spikes recording…
- Optical imaging of calcium or voltage signals at different scales (wide-field cortical imaging, two-photon or one-photon microscopy, fiber photometry…).
- Any other technique that could be used to measure in vivo changes in brain activity induced by CNS drugs.
All paradigms (resting state or during a task, acute or chronic effects, anesthetized or awake subjects) and analyzes are welcome as long as they give an insight into a neuropharmacological question. Literature reviews as well as original research articles are accepted.
Currently available pharmacological treatments for many neuropsychiatric diseases are still limited in efficacy and safety, requiring new approaches in drug development for central nervous system (CNS) disorders. The development of efficient CNS drugs has been recognized as highly challenging, due to the extreme complexity of the brain and the difficulty to cross the blood-brain barrier. In this context, functional neuroimaging appears as a promising way to address these challenges by monitoring brain activity and its changes following any drug administration, without the requirement of a specific contrast agent. Over the years, the technological developments to understand brain function have made it possible to probe brain activity at multiple spatiotemporal scales through different quantitative parameters that can be used to evaluate drugs effects, both in living animals and humans, providing a way to select the most promising compounds or to refine our understanding of drugs mechanisms of action in a pathological context.
The aim of this research topic is to highlight the interest of functional neuroimaging to understand the effects of CNS drugs in vivo, in animals or humans and in physiological or pathological conditions. The research topic should not only be related to the methodological aspects of functional neuroimaging but should also include various practical examples of studies focusing on pharmacological or pathophysiological questions that are of interest for the field of neuropharmacology. Ideally, the topic should cover multiple technologies that are used for studying brain activity at different spatial and temporal scales, in animals or in humans.
The scope of this research topic is focused on the in vivo measurement of brain activity for studying CNS drugs, in animals or in humans. As such, contributions using the following techniques are welcome:
- Hemodynamic measurements using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), positron emission tomography with 15O-labeled tracers, functional ultrasound imaging (fUS), or other approaches.
- Metabolic measurements such as positron emission tomography using 18F-FDG.
- Electrophysiological measurements using local or brain-wide approaches, such as electroencephalography (EEG), electrocorticography (ECoG), local field potential or high-density spikes recording…
- Optical imaging of calcium or voltage signals at different scales (wide-field cortical imaging, two-photon or one-photon microscopy, fiber photometry…).
- Any other technique that could be used to measure in vivo changes in brain activity induced by CNS drugs.
All paradigms (resting state or during a task, acute or chronic effects, anesthetized or awake subjects) and analyzes are welcome as long as they give an insight into a neuropharmacological question. Literature reviews as well as original research articles are accepted.