BENZOGAP
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the role of diazepam on brain function and chemistry in psychosis risk
IRAS ID
227893
Contact name
Gemma Modinos
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
Psychosis is the first leading cause of disability in the developed world. The first symptoms (e.g., hearing voices that aren't there) appear in adolescence, from interactions between genes and environmental risk factors such as psychosocial stress. The treatments that are offered now do not work for about 30-60% of patients, and have little impact on illness prevention. In the brain, psychosis is commonly associated with excessive production of the neurotransmitter dopamine, but little is known about what causes this excess. Research in experimental rats shows that problems in regulating the emotional response to stress lead to the excess production of dopamine through a disruption of another neurotransmitter systems: GABA and glutamate. Furthermore, when these adolescent rats (premorbid stage) are given a drug that improves GABA function (a benzodiazepine, diazepam), the response to stress is regulated and the development of excess dopamine at adulthood is prevented.
I propose to use neuroimaging to assess whether the acute administration of a benzodiazepine can normalise emotional response and GABA-glutamate levels in people in the premorbid stage of psychosis (at “clinical high risk”, CHR). This will be possible by using Magnetic Resonance Imaging, by which we can examine the relationship between brain function and neurochemistry in response to a drug that improves GABA levels in the brain. This will advance our pathophysiological understanding of psychosis development, towards finding new biomarkers and new treatments aimed at preventing the onset of the psychosis.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/0618
Date of REC Opinion
15 Jun 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion