Tamsin A. Langley1, Nick Jones1, Michael J. O'Neill2, Steve C.R. Williams3
1Neuroimaging Research Group, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK; 2Neurodegeneration Drug Team, Eli Lilly & Co., Surrey, UK; 3Neuroimaging Research Group, Institute of Psychiatry, Lonfon, UK
Presently, anaesthesia is commonly utilised in small animal fMRI and phMRI. As yet there is no standardization for anaesthetic protocols, despite the fact that different anaesthetics affect factors such as cerebral blood flow, respiration and ultimately neurovascular coupling as well as influencing neurotransmitter systems. With the increase in the application of BOLD imaging in neuroscience drug discovery, it is pertinent that the most appropriate anaesthetic is chosen, specific to experimental design. In this study we investigate the effect of two anaesthetics, urethane and isoflurane on the regional functional modulation in the rat brain following an acute fluoxetine challenge.