Acute prefrontal rTMS increases striatal dopamine to a similar degree as d-amphetamine

Pogarell, Oliver; Koch, Walter; Pöpperl, Gabriele; Tatsch, Klaus; Jakob, Franziska; Mulert, Christoph; Grossheinrich, Nicola; Rupprecht, Rainer; Möller, Hans-Jürgen; Hegerl, Ulrich; Padberg, Frank

doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2007.05.002

« Previous Next »Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
Volume 156, Issue 3 , Pages 251-255, 15 December 2007

Acute prefrontal rTMS increases striatal dopamine to a similar degree as d-amphetamine

Oliver Pogarell
- Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig–Maximilians–University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Walter Koch
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig–Maximilians–University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Corresponding author. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig–Maximilians–University of Munich, Klinikum Grosshadern, D-81377 Munich, Germany. Tel.: +49 89 7095 4630; fax: +49 89 7095 7646.
Gabriele Pöpperl
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig–Maximilians–University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Klaus Tatsch
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig–Maximilians–University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Franziska Jakob
- Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig–Maximilians–University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Christoph Mulert
- Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig–Maximilians–University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Nicola Grossheinrich
- Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig–Maximilians–University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Rainer Rupprecht
- Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig–Maximilians–University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Hans-Jürgen Möller
- Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig–Maximilians–University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Ulrich Hegerl
- Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig–Maximilians–University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Frank Padberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig–Maximilians–University of Munich, Munich, Germany

Received 21 September 2006; received in revised form 6 May 2007; accepted 14 May 2007.

Abstract

Prefrontal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been shown to increase striatal dopaminergic activity. Here we investigated dopaminergic neurotransmission using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and [¹²³I]IBZM to indirectly assess the change in endogenous striatal dopamine concentration upon rTMS as compared with d-amphetamine challenge. SPECT imaging was performed twice each in five patients during rTMS, and in two patients who received 0.3 mg/kg d-amphetamine. Administration of rTMS led to a mean relative decrease in striatal IBZM binding by 9.6±6.2%, and d-amphetamine challenge (n=4) induced a mean relative reduction by 8±2.95% (difference not statistically significant). Acute rTMS challenge showed similar striatal dopaminergic effects to those associated with the administration of d-amphetamine, a substance known to increase synaptic dopamine.