Impact of Stress on Brain Energy Metabolism

Impact of Acute Stress and Its Habituation on Brain Energy Metabolism

Background: Stress plays an essential role in the pathophysiology of mental disorders. However, individual differences in the vulnerability to acute and repeated stress are not well understood.

Aim: This work aims to investigate individual differences in glucose metabolism and directional connectivity regulating the neuronal stress response.

Design: 68 healthy volunteers will undergo two simultaneous PET/MRI measurements one week apart. Participants will complete the Montreal Imaging Stress Test during each measurement and in-between. Effects of stress on cognitive performance will be assessed using the n-back working memory task. Individual cortisol levels will be acquired to identify stress (non)responders as well as (non)habituators.

Implications: This work will characterize differences between stress responders vs. non-responders and stress habituators vs. non-habituators in terms of energy metabolism and network connectivity. This individual difference in the stress response may represent an important cornerstone for future evaluation of patients with mental disorders.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Stress
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Montreal Imaging Stress Test

Detailed Description

Methodological details: Each participant will undergo two PET/MRI scans. Imaging will include functional PET and as well as structural and functional MRI. Stress-specific glucose metabolism will be quantified with the radioligand [18F]FDG. Functional connectivity will be combined with glucose metabolism to assess directional connectivity.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 68
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Andreas Hahn, Assoc.Prof.; Phone Number: 23200 +43140400; Email: andreas.hahn@meduniwien.ac.at
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Rupert Lanzenberger, Prof.; Phone Number: 35760 +43140400; Email: rupert.lanzenberger@meduniwien.ac.at

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18-40 years
• right-handedness
• willingness and competence to sign the informed consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of or current physical, neurological or psychiatric disorder
• History of or current substance abuse or medication, including antipsychotic, antidepressant and antianxiety agents
• Pregnancy of current breast-feeding
• Contraindications for MRI-scanning (e.g., metal implants, steel grafts, etc.), including dental implants causing signal artifacts
• For subjects participating in earlier studies using ionizing radiation, the total radiation exposure of 30 mSv over the last 10 years must not be exceeded, as specified in the Austrian legislation on radiation protection Accordingly, body weight > 105 kg is an exclusion criterion.
• Failure to comply with the study protocol or to follow the instructions of the investigating team.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Stress; Montreal Imaging Stress Test during each PET/MRI measurement and in-between	Behavioral: Montreal Imaging Stress Test; In the Montreal Imaging Stress Test, participants are required to solve basic mathematical tasks, but the allowed reaction time is set lower than their average.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Stress induced changes in glucose metabolism	Glucose metabolism will be quantified from [18F]FDG PET imaging.	1 week

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Stress induced changes in directional connectivity	Directional connectivity will be computed as combination of MRI-based functional connectivity and glucose metabolism.	1 week
Stress induced changes in cognitive performance	Cognitive performance will be obtained by the n-back working memory task.	1 week

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Rupert Lanzenberger
• Collaborators: University of Konstanz
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Andreas Hahn, Assoc.Prof., Department of Psychiatry and Psychtherapy, Medical University of Vienna

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Neuroimaging Labs, Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): March 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 29, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): February 29, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 29, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 29, 2024
• First Posted (Estimated): February 6, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): February 6, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 29, 2024
• Last Verified: January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: PSY-NIL-0012

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Anonymized data will be deposited on datadryad.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: After study completion.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Public access.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No