Abstract: 

This study uses a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised between-groups design to test if administration of a 5HT agonist called prucalopride has positive effects on emotion processing and neural activity in healthy volunteers. Participants will be randomised to receive 7 days administration of either drug or placebo. On Day 6 of drug /placebo administration, participants will come in for an MRI scan including fMRI for an emotion task and for a memory task. On Day 7 of burg /placebo administration, participants will come in for behavioural testing. The study protocol including outcomes was preregistered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03572790).

Change Log

Version 1 edit 3: Amended spacing

Staffing levels: 1 x scanner operator and 1 x researcher 

Session Time: 75 minutes

See attached radiographers procedure for full usage guidance. 

Contact: 

Please contact Catherine.Harmer@psych.ox.ac.uk to discuss the implementation of this protocol. 

Citing this material:

Citing this protocol: 

De Cates, A., Filipini, N., Gould van Praag, C., Harmer, C., Murphy, S., Rieger, S., Semple, J., Wright, L. (2022, February 22). Open WIN MR Protocol: 2018_114 Seven Day Prucalopride. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6107725

Please also cite the first paper published using this protocol (1), and the task code (2): 

1)    de Cates, A.N., Wright, L.C., Martens, M.A.G. et al. Déjà-vu? Neural and behavioural effects of the 5-HT4 receptor agonist, prucalopride, in a hippocampal-dependent memory task. Transl Psychiatry 11, 497 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01568-4

2)    Gould van Praag, Cassandra, Murphy, Susannah, & Harmer, Catherine J. (2021, February 10). Faces Emotion Recognition Test (FERT) - fMRI Scanner version - Fear and Happy. Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4532335

Acknowledgements: 

The development of this resource was funded by the Medical Research Council UK and by the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre.

License: 

This resource is distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC BY 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Localiser

High contrast structural image, Magnetisation Prepared Rapid Gradient Echo (MPRAGE) acquisition, 1mm isotropic voxel size (same size in all 3 orthogonal axes), 32 channel coil

Generates two images (in order of dicom reconstruction): 1) raw; 2) bias field corrected. 

Faces 2d echoplanar image multiband sequence (multiband acceleration factor 4, PAT (GRAPPA) factor 2). FOV 216 mm

Generates two image sets (in order of dicom reconstruction): 1) single band reference (1 volume) 2) time series.

Field map image for bias field correction of the faces (bold_mbep2d_MB4P2_task_faces) and hippocampal (BOLD_2p4_MB6_P1_TE30_TR800_AP_hippocampal) sequences with the same field of view. 

Generates three image sets (in order of dicom reconstruction): 1) magnitude for echo 1 (TE = 4.92 ms); 2) magnitude for echo 2 (TE = 7.38 ms); 3)  phase difference image generated by subtracting the phase at the 2 echo times

Hippocampal task multiband sequence (slice thickness 2.4mm, multiband acceleration factor 6), with an 800ms repetition time and 30ms echo time. Anterior > Posterior phase encoding. FOV 216 mm

Generates two image sets (in order of dicom reconstruction): 1) single band reference (1 volume) 2) time series.

Pseudo continuous arterial spin labelling delivers a train of very short RF pulses to magnetically label arterial blood. Produces a perfusion image reflecting the amount of arterial blood delivered to each voxel. 2d echo planar image sequence.

Generates four image sets (in order of dicom reconstruction): 1) to_ep2d_PCASL; 2) to_ep2d_PCASL; 3) Perfusion_Weighted; 4) relCBF

Resting state (slice thickness 2.5mm, multiband acceleration factor 3, PAT (GRAPPA) factor 2, multi echo (echo times 15, 36, 57ms). Anterior > Posterior phase encoding. FOV 210 mm.

Generates two image sets (in order of dicom reconstruction): 1) single band reference (1 volume) 2) time series.

Field map image for bias field correction of the resting state (RS_BOLD_2p5_MB3_P2_TE15-36-57_TR1600_PA) sequence with the same field of view. 

Generates three image sets (in order of dicom reconstruction): 1) magnitude for echo 1 (TE = 4.92 ms); 2) magnitude for echo 2 (TE = 7.38 ms); 3)  phase difference image generated by subtracting the phase at the 2 echo times

Resting state (slice thickness 2.5mm, multiband acceleration factor 3, PAT (GRAPPA) factor 2, multi echo (echo times 16, 40, 63ms). Anterior > Posterior phase encoding. FOV 210 mm.

Generates two image sets (in order of dicom reconstruction): 1) single band reference (1 volume) 2) time series.

Note this sequence was retained in the protocol as an alternate in case of stimulation warnings. Stimulation warnings were not observed in the course of running this study.