scholarly journals The Acute and Chronic Cognitive and Cerebral Blood-Flow Effects of Nepalese Pepper (Zanthoxylum armatum DC.) Extract—A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study in Healthy Humans

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3022 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Kennedy ◽  
Emma Wightman ◽  
Julie Khan ◽  
Torsten Grothe ◽  
Philippa Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Single Dose ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Performance Measure ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Zanthoxylum Armatum ◽  
Healthy Humans

Background: Zanthoxylum armatum DC. (ZA) is a traditional Asian culinary spice and medicinal compound, which is rich in monoterpenes and hydroxy α-sanshool. Mechanistic interactions with the monoamine, cholinergic and cannabinoid neurotransmission systems, as well as transient receptor potential (TRP) and potassium ion channels, may predispose ZA to modulate human brain function. Objectives: To investigate the effects of a single dose and 56-days supplementation with a lipid extract of ZA on cognitive function, mood and cerebral blood-flow (CBF) parameters in the pre-frontal cortex during cognitive task performance. Design: Double-blind, randomized, parallel groups study with N = 82 healthy males and females between the ages of 30 and 55 years. Assessments were undertaken pre-dose and at 1, 3 and 5 h post-dose on the first (Day 1) and last (Day 56) days of supplementation. Results: A single dose of ZA (Day 1) resulted in acute improvements on a ‘Speed of Attention’ factor and the Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVIP) task, in comparison to placebo. However, following ZA participants were less accurate on the name-to-face recall task. After 56 days of ZA consumption (Day 56), speed was enhanced on a global ‘Speed of Performance’ measure, comprising data from all of the timed tasks in the computerized battery. Participants also completed more correct Serial 3s Subtractions at the 3 h assessment and were less mentally fatigued throughout the day than participants consuming placebo. These effects were complemented on both Day 1 and Day 56 by modulation of CBF parameters, as assessed by Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS). The primary finding here was a reduced hemodynamic response during the RVIP task. Conclusion: ZA improves aspects of cognitive performance, in particular the speed of performing tasks, in healthy humans and results in concomitant reductions in hemodynamic responses in the frontal cortex during task performance. The findings suggest an increase in neural efficiency following ZA.

scholarly journals Increased Cerebral Blood Flow after single dose of antipsychotics in healthy volunteers depends on dopamine D2 receptor density profiles

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierluigi Selvaggi ◽  
Peter C.T. Hawkins ◽  
Ottavia Dipasquale ◽  
Gaia Rizzo ◽  
Alessandro Bertolino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Single Dose ◽  
Healthy Volunteers ◽  
Mrna Expression ◽  
D2 Receptor ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Binding Potential ◽  
Expression Data ◽  
Spatial Coupling

AbstractAs a result of neuro-vascular coupling, the functional effects of antipsychotics in human brain have been investigated in both healthy and clinical populations using haemodynamic markers such as regional Cerebral Blood Flow (rCBF). However, the relationship between observed haemodynamic effects and the pharmacological action of these drugs has not been fully established. Here, we analysed MRI-based rCBF data from a placebo-controlled study in healthy volunteers, who received a single dose of three different D2 receptor antagonists and tested the association of the main effects of the drugs on rCBF against normative population maps of D2R protein density and gene-expression data. In particular, we correlated CBF changes after antipsychotic administration with non-displaceable binding potential (BPND) template maps of the high affinity D2-antagonist Positron Emission Tomography (PET) ligand [18F]Fallypride and brain post-mortem microarray mRNA expression data for the DRD2 gene. For all antipsychotics, rCBF changes were directly proportional to brain D2R densities and DRD2 mRNA expression measures, although PET BPND spatial profiles explained more variance as compared with mRNA profiles (PET R2 range= 0.20-0.60, mRNA PET R2 range 0.04-0.20, pairwise-comparisons all p<0.05). In addition, the spatial coupling between ΔCBF and D2R profiles varied between the different antipsychotics tested, possibly reflecting differential affinities. Overall, these results indicate that the functional effects of antipsychotics as measured with rCBF are tightly correlated with the distribution of their target receptors in striatal and extra-striatal regions. Our results further demonstrate the link between neurotransmitter targets and haemodynamic changes reinforcing rCBF as a robust in-vivo marker of drug effects. This work is important in bridging the gap between pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics of novel and existing compounds.

scholarly journals The Acute and Chronic Cognitive and Cerebral Blood Flow Effects of a Sideritis scardica (Greek Mountain Tea) Extract: A Double Blind, Randomized, Placebo Controlled, Parallel Groups Study in Healthy Humans

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Wightman ◽  
Philippa Jackson ◽  
Julie Khan ◽  
Joanne Forster ◽  
Felix Heiner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Ginkgo Biloba ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Placebo Control ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Healthy Humans

Background: The presence of polyphenols such as hydroxy-cinnamic acids and flavonoids in Sideritis scardica (Greek mountain tea) are likely responsible for the cognitive and mood effects of its consumption and this could be underpinned by the ability of such polyphenols to prevent monoamine neurotransmitter reuptake and to increase cerebral blood flow (CBF). Objective: The current study extends the small amount of Sideritis scardica literature in humans by assessing both cognitive and mood outcomes in a sample of older adults, as well as blood pressure (BP) and CBF, in a subsample, utilizing near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Design: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel groups trial randomized N = 155, 50–70-year-old male and female participants who were assessed for the cognitive (N = 140), mood (N = 142), BP (N = 133) and CBF (N = 57) effects of two doses of Greek mountain tea (475 and 950 mg) as well as an active control of 240 mg Ginkgo biloba, and a placebo control, following acute consumption (Day 1) and following a month-long consumption period (Day 28). Results: Relative to the placebo control, 950 mg Greek mountain tea evinced significantly fewer false alarms on the Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVIP) task on Day 28 and significantly reduced state anxiety following 28 days consumption (relative also to the active, Ginkgo control). This higher dose of Greek mountain tea also attenuated a reduction in accuracy on the picture recognition task, on Day 1 and Day 28, relative to Ginkgo and both doses of Greek mountain tea trended towards significantly faster speed of attention on both days, relative to Ginkgo. Both doses of Greek mountain tea, relative to placebo, increased oxygenated haemoglobin (HbO) and oxygen saturation (Ox%) in the prefrontal cortex during completion of cognitively demanding tasks on Day 1. The higher dose also evinced greater levels of total (THb) and deoxygenated (Hb) haemoglobin on Day 1 but no additional effects were seen on CBF on Day 28 following either dose of Greek mountain tea. Ginkgo biloba led to lower levels of Ox% and higher levels of Hb on Day 1 and lower levels of both HbO and THb on Day 28. Conclusions: The significantly improved cognitive performance following Greek mountain tea on Day 1 could be due to significant modulation of the CBF response. However, these improvements on Day 28 are more likely to be due to the reductions in state anxiety and, taken together, suggests that the former mechanism is more likely to facilitate acute cognitive effects and the latter more likely to underpin more prolonged cognitive improvements.

Controlled Study of Nimodipine in Aneurysm Patients Treated Early after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Neurosurgery ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 484-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Mee ◽  
Deborah Dorrance ◽  
Derek Lowe ◽  
Glenn Neil-Dwyer
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Mortality Difference ◽  
Electrocardiographic Changes ◽  
Subarachnoid Hemorrhages

Abstract We enrolled 75 consecutive patients admitted with subarachnoid hemorrhages in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to determine the effect of early intervention with nimodipine on outcome and cerebral blood flow. The cardioprotective effect of nimodipine was assessed by measuring the electrocardiographic changes over the first 3 days of drug treatment. There was a mild lowering of the mean cerebral blood flow in the nimodipine-treated group over the 21-day period. Analysis of the continuous electrocardiographic traces showed no difference between the nimodipine and placebo groups in the frequency or type of abnormality detected. At 3 months, 4 of the 38 patients receiving nimodipine had died, compared with 10 of the 37 placebo-receiving patients. Of the 50 eligible patients who had a proven cerebral aneurysm, 1 patient (4%) on nimodipine died compared with 6 (24%) receiving placebo (0.01 &lt; P &gt; 0.05, x2 test; approximate 95% confidence interval for mortality difference, 0.4% to 39.6%). We conclude that nimodipine does not increase the cerebral blood flow or protect the heart after a subarachnoid hemorrhage. There were no side effects from nimodipine. The trend toward improved outcome should be verified in a larger series of patients. (Neurosurgery 22:484-491, 1988)

Neonatal Intracranial Hemorrhage and Phenobarbital

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-315
Author(s):  
KARL C. K. KUBAN ◽  
ELIZABETH BROWN ◽  
ALAN LEVITON ◽  
KALPATHY KRISHNAMOORTHY
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Flow Pattern ◽  
Intracranial Hemorrhage ◽  
Double Blind Study ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Blood Flow Pattern ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Ultrasound Testing

In Reply.— We appreciate the comments by Dr Battisti et al. As noted in the inclusion criteria for our study,1 all intubated babies with birth weights less than 1,751 g were eligible for the study. One of the advantages of a randomized double-blind study is that babies with other risk factors, including presence of a fluctuating cerebral blood flow pattern on Doppler ultrasound testing, should have equal chances of being in the treated and placebo groups.

Surfactant Therapy and Intracranial Hemorrhage: Review of the Literature and Results of New Analyses

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
pp. 775-786
Author(s):  
J. Harry Gunkel ◽  
Phillip L.C. Banks
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Birth Weight ◽  
Intracranial Hemorrhage ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Surfactant Therapy ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Hemodynamic Changes ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Risk Of Hemorrhage

Background and objective. Surfactant replacement is a powerful therapy for newborns with respiratory distress syndrome, but limited observations suggest that alterations of cerebral blood flow can accompany the use of several available surfactants. An early European multicenter controlled study with beractant demonstrated an increased rate of intracranial hemorrhage in treated patients. Nine additional controlled studies were subsequently performed and included follow-up evaluations through 2 years adjusted age. This clinical experience provided a database of approximately 1700 infants to examine retrospectively for any relationship between surfactant therapy and intracranial hemorrhage. Methods. Cumulative incidence rates, hazard ratios, and 95% confidence intervals for intracranial hemorrhage were computed for each study and for appropriately pooled studies of similar design. Where an association between surfactant and the risk of intracranial hemorrhage was found, additional analyses were performed to attempt to identify intermediate physiologic events that might link administration of surfactant to the occurrence of intracranial hemorrhage. These analyses were guided by literature reports of hemodynamic changes observed in association with surfactant therapy. Results. During the controlled studies with beractant, treated newborns of 600 to 750 g birth weight were at higher risk for grades I and II intracranial hemorrhage than control newborns. There was no increased risk for grades III and IV hemorrhage among these newborns, nor was there increased risk of hemorrhage among any other patient groups. This finding did not result in increased morbidity for the affected patients; at 2 years adjusted age, they were not different from the control infants of 600 to 750 g birth weight. Retrospective examination of the database could not pinpoint the mechanism behind the finding, but it might have been related to changes in cerebral blood flow after surfactant uncompensated by ventilator management of oxygenation and ventilation. Conclusion. Surfactant therapy may set in motion hemodynamic changes that could predispose to intracranial hemorrhage in certain circumstances, but this can probably be compensated by careful management of oxygenation and ventilation. A relationship between surfactant therapy and intracranial hemorrhage is probably not isolated to any particular surfactant preparation or method of delivery; studies comparing surfactants have shown no differences in rates of intracranial hemorrhage.

scholarly journals Does cerebral blood flow & oxygenation limit maximal exercise performance in healthy humans?

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zafeiris Louvaris ◽  
IOANNIS VOGIATZIS ◽  
ATHANASOPOULOS DIMITRIS ◽  
ANDRIANOPOULOS VASILIS ◽  
ALEXOPOULOS PANAGIOTIS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Exercise Performance ◽  
Maximal Exercise ◽  
Healthy Humans
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