Effects of serotonin 2A/1A receptor stimulation on social exclusion processing
Using multimodal brain imaging, the study shows that stimulation of serotonin 2A/1A receptors modulates neural processing of social exclusion and associated emotional responses. This implicates the 2A/1A receptor system as a potential pharmacological target for treating sociocognitive deficits in psychiatric disorders.
Authors
- Erich Seifritz
- Milan Scheidegger
- Franz Vollenweider
Published
Abstract
Significance Social cognition critically impacts the development, progression, and treatment of psychiatric disorders. However, social cognition skills are insufficiently targeted by current treatment approaches. By applying a multimodal brain imaging strategy, the present study demonstrated the importance of the serotonin 2A/1A receptor system in the modulation of social exclusion processing. Understanding the biochemical underpinnings of the social rejection experience is important for increasing our knowledge about social/emotional processing and the related neural responses. The identification of relevant neural responses is in turn crucial for the efficacious management of disorders influenced by social factors. Our findings may help to diminish a knowledge gap that currently restrains the development of pharmacotherapies for sociocognitive deficits in psychiatric disorders.
Research Summary of 'Effects of serotonin 2A/1A receptor stimulation on social exclusion processing'
Introduction
Social ties are crucial for physical and mental health, and increased reactivity to social exclusion contributes to the development, progression, and treatment challenges of multiple psychiatric disorders. Previous work implicates the serotonin (5-HT) system in mood, affect and social cognition, and psilocybin (Psi) — a preferential 5-HT2A/1A receptor agonist — has been shown to attenuate processing of negative emotional stimuli and alter self-experience. However, research to date has largely examined non-interactive emotional stimuli, leaving unclear whether direct 5-HT2A/1A receptor stimulation modulates the neural and subjective processing of negative social interactions such as rejection or ostracism. Preller and colleagues designed a multimodal brain imaging study to address this gap. Using a double-blind, randomised, counterbalanced within-subject cross-over design, the investigators compared acute oral psilocybin (0.215 mg/kg) with placebo in 21 healthy volunteers while measuring functional MRI responses during an interactive social exclusion paradigm (Cyberball) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). The primary aim was to determine whether Psi reduces neural and subjective responses to social exclusion and to explore whether changes in excitatory neurometabolites, particularly aspartate (Asp) and glutamate (Glu), relate to any observed effects. This study is notable for combining task-based fMRI of a real-time social interaction with spectroscopic probing of dACC biochemistry, permitting exploration of receptor-level modulation of social pain processing and its putative neurochemical substrates in humans.
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Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compounds
- Topics
- Authors
- APA Citation
Preller, K. H., Pokorny, T., Hock, A., Kraehenmann, R., Stämpfli, P., Seifritz, E., Scheidegger, M., & Vollenweider, F. X. (2016). Effects of serotonin 2A/1A receptor stimulation on social exclusion processing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(18), 5119-5124. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1524187113
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