Topic 3 - Symptomatic Treatment Studies

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Symptomatic treatment studies

Overview

Abnormalities of the brain's neurotransmitter chemicals cause many of the behavioural and cognitive changes seen in patients with frontotemporal dementia, PSP and CBS/CBD. For instance levels of serotonin, noradrenaline, GABA, and glutamate are reduced and thus might provide a possible target for future treatment.

We study the potential benefits of drugs that restore neurotransmitter function in patients with Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTD, PSP, and CBD) and Parkinson's disease. We measure their impact on brain function and brain networks (assessed with MEG and MRI).

We are conducting studies with the following drugs:

a) Atomoxetine - a selective reuptake inhibitor of noradrenaline

b) Tiagabine - a selective GABA reuptake inhibitor

c) Citalopram - a selective sereotonin reuptake inhibitor

d) Memantine - a NMDA antagonist; this drug is also licenced for use in Alzheimer's dementia.

Researchers

Selected Publications

  • Ye, Z., Rae, C. L., Nombela, C., Ham, T., Rittman, T., Jones, P. S., Rodriguez, P. V., Coyle-Gilchrist, I., Regenthal, R., Altena, E., Housden, C. R., Maxwell, H., Sahakian, B. J., Barker, R. A., Robbins, T. W., & Rowe, J. B. (2016). Predicting beneficial effects of atomoxetine and citalopram on response inhibition in Parkinson's disease with clinical and neuroimaging measures. Hum Brain Mapp, 37(3), 1026-1037. doi:10.1002/hbm.23087 PMID: 26757216 PMC4819701
  • Borchert, R. J., Rittman, T., Passamonti, L., Ye, Z., Sami, S., Jones, S. P., Nombela, C., Rodriguez, P. V., Vatansever, D., Rae, C. L., Hughes, L. E., Robbins, T. W., & Rowe, J. B. (2016). Atomoxetine Enhances Connectivity of Prefrontal Networks in Parkinson's Disease. Neuropsychopharmacology, 41(8), 2188. doi:10.1038/npp.2016.46 PMID: 27282105 PMC4908653
  • Borchert, R. J., Rittman, T., Passamonti, L., Ye, Z., Sami, S., Jones, S. P., Nombela, C., Vazquez Rodriguez, P., Vatansever, D., Rae, C. L., Hughes, L. E., Robbins, T. W., & Rowe, J. B. (2016). Atomoxetine Enhances Connectivity of Prefrontal Networks in Parkinson's Disease. Neuropsychopharmacology, 41(8), 2171-2177. doi:10.1038/npp.2016.18 PMID: 26837463 PMC4856878
  • Rae, C. L., Nombela, C., Rodriguez, P. V., Ye, Z., Hughes, L. E., Jones, P. S., Ham, T., Rittman, T., Coyle-Gilchrist, I., Regenthal, R., Sahakian, B. J., Barker, R. A., Robbins, T. W., & Rowe, J. B. (2016). Atomoxetine restores the response inhibition network in Parkinson's disease. Brain, 139(Pt 8), 2235-2248. doi:10.1093/brain/aww138 PMID: 27343257 PMC4958901
  • Ye, Z., Altena, E., Nombela, C., Housden, C. R., Maxwell, H., Rittman, T., Huddleston, C., Rae, C. L., Regenthal, R., Sahakian, B. J., Barker, R. A., Robbins, T. W., & Rowe, J. B. (2015). Improving response inhibition in Parkinson's disease with atomoxetine. Biol Psychiatry, 77(8), 740-748. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.01.024 PMID: 24655598 PMC4384955
  • Hughes, L. E., Rittman, T., Regenthal, R., Robbins, T. W., & Rowe, J. B. (2015). Improving response inhibition systems in frontotemporal dementia with citalopram. Brain, 138(Pt 7), 1961-1975. doi:10.1093/brain/awv133 PMID: 26001387 PMC5412666
  • Kehagia, A. A., Housden, C. R., Regenthal, R., Barker, R. A., Muller, U., Rowe, J., Sahakian, B. J., & Robbins, T. W. (2014). Targeting impulsivity in Parkinson's disease using atomoxetine. Brain, 137(Pt 7), 1986-1997. doi:10.1093/brain/awu117 PMID: 24893708 PMC4065022