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Role of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Drug Discovery

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Abstract

In this review, we survey the state of the field of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as it relates to drug discovery and drug development. We highlight the advantages and limitations of fMRI for this purpose and suggest ways to improve the use of fMRI for developing new therapeutics, with emphasis on treatments for anxiety disorders. Fundamentally, pharmacological studies with standard psychiatric treatments using standardized behavioral probes during fMRI will need to be carried out to determine characteristic brain signatures that could be used to predict whether novel compounds are likely to have specific therapeutic effects.

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Acknowledgement

Preparation of this manuscript was supported, in part, by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH075792, MH65413, and MH64122) and VA Merit Review Grants to MPP and MBS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), 8950 Villa La Jolla Drive, Suite C-213, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA

    Martin P. Paulus & Murray B. Stein

  2. Department of Family & Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), San Diego, CA, USA

    Murray B. Stein

  3. Psychiatry Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Health Care System, San Diego, CA, USA

    Martin P. Paulus & Murray B. Stein

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  1. Martin P. Paulus
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Correspondence to Martin P. Paulus.

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Paulus, M.P., Stein, M.B. Role of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Drug Discovery. Neuropsychol Rev 17, 179–188 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-007-9023-0

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