Cited by 27Psychosomatic Disorders and Their TreatmentsGastrointestinal motility and disordersNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

High-dose ondansetron reduces activation of interoceptive and sensorimotor brain regions

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Stern, Emily R., Shahab, Rebbia, Grimaldi, Stephanie J., Leibu, Evan, Murrough, James W., Fleysher, Lazar, Parides, Michael K., Coffey, Barbara J. +2 more·2019·Neuropsychopharmacology

Abstract

Several psychiatric disorders involve abnormalities of interoception and associated neural circuitry centered on the insula. The development of interventions modulating interoceptive circuits could lead to novel treatment approaches for these disorders. The 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron is a good candidate for the modulation of interoceptive circuits, as 5-HT3 receptors are located abundantly on sensory pathways and ondansetron has shown some clinical utility in disorders characterized by sensory and interoceptive abnormalities. The present study tested the ability of three different doses of ondansetron to engage neural regions involved in interoception to determine the drug's utility as a therapeutic agent to target circuit abnormalities in patients. Fifty-three healthy subjects were randomized to receive a single 8-mg (n = 18), 16-mg (n = 17), or 24-mg (n = 18) dose of ondansetron and placebo before MRI scanning on separate days. Subjects performed an fMRI task previously shown to engage interoceptive circuitry in which they viewed videos depicting body movements/sensation and control videos. The results revealed a highly significant relationship between dosage and activation in bilateral insula, somatosensory and premotor regions, cingulate cortex, and temporal cortex for control but not body-focused videos. These effects were driven by a robust reduction in activation for ondansetron compared to placebo for the 24-mg group, with weaker effects for the 16-mg and 8-mg groups. In conclusion, high-dose ondansetron reduces activation of several areas important for interoception, including insula and sensorimotor cortical regions. This study reveals the potential utility of this drug in modulating hyperactivity in these regions in patients.

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  • Single high doses of ondansetron reduce activation in the insula, precentral and postcentral gyri, and cingulate cortex.

    “Single high doses of ondansetron, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist FDA approved for severe nausea and vomiting [104], reduce activation in the insula, precentral and postcentral gyri, and cingulate cortex [105].”

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  1. Schneier FR, Garfinkel R, Kennedy B, Campeas R, Fallon B, Marshall R, et al. Ondansetron in the treatment of panic disorder. Anxiety. 1996;2:199-202.

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Authors
Stern, E. R., Shahab, R., Grimaldi, S. J., Leibu, E., Murrough, J. W., Fleysher, L., Parides, M. K., Coffey, B. J., Burdick, K. E., & Goodman, W. K.
Affiliations
  • Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research (US)
  • Hofstra University (US)
  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US)
  • University of Miami (US)
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
  • Baylor College of Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
Stern, Emily R.
Venue
Neuropsychopharmacology
Published
2018-08-08
Volume
44
Issue
2
Pages
390-398
ISSN
  • 0893-133X (ISSN-L)
  • 1740-634X
OpenAlex
W2885869118
Cited by
27
References
69
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1
FWCI
1.96
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (R21MH107589)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
ondansetron, 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, interoception, insula, sensorimotor cortex, somatosensory cortex, premotor cortex, cingulate cortex, temporal cortex, dose-response relationship, human motion perception, bodily sensations, mental illness, neural circuit modulation
MeSH terms
Adult, Brain, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Serotonin Antagonists, Ondansetron, Young Adult, Interoception

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