Possible Role and Application of fMRI in the Screening of Release-Active Drugs

• Published in: Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine 2015-02, Vol.158 (4), p.453-457
• Main Authors: Duma, S. N., Rezakova, M. V., Mazhirina, K. G., Petrovskii, E. D., Pokrovskii, M. A., Dzhafarova, O. A., Savelov, A. A., Shtark, M. B., Epstein, O. I.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Antibodies - pharmacology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain - metabolism; Cell Biology; Cerebrovascular Disorders - drug therapy; Drug Combinations; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical - methods; Female; Humans; Internal Medicine; Laboratory Medicine; Magnetic fields; Magnetic resonance imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Middle Aged; Neuroprotective Agents - pharmacology; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III - immunology; Pathology; S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit - pharmacology; Stroop Test; Task Performance and Analysis
• ISSN: 0007-4888; 1573-8221
• DOI: 10.1007/s10517-015-2783-2

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain was applied for preclinical evaluation of the efficiency of Divaza preparation intended for the treatment of cerebrovascular disorders. Psychological testing (Stroop task) in the magnetic field of fMRI was performed before and after 12-week treatment course using a double blind placebo-controlled protocol. It was shown that standard psychological and neuropsychological protocols do not allow fully estimate the results of treatment, whereas fMRI targeted the pool of cerebral structures activated during task solution. In the treatment group (in contrast to placebo), active zones in these structures were found only during task solution. Thus, resolution capability of fMRI significantly extends the range of rational screening by identifying active zones and can radically change the procedure of selection and clinical trials.