Peer-Reviewed Publication
J Magn Reson Imaging2026;63(2):346-363.February 1, 2026Journal Article
Pharmacological MRI: Utility in Understanding Drug Mechanisms in Psychiatric Disorders.
Christin Y Sander1,2, Tudor M Ionescu3, Mitul A Mehta4, Ottavia Dipasquale5, Anouk Schrantee6
1Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.
2Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
3Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health Diseases Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany.
4Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
5Department of R&D Advanced Applications, Olea Medical, La Ciotat, France.
6Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Abstract
Pharmacological MRI (pharmaMRI) has emerged as a powerful tool to study how psychoactive drugs affect brain function and to uncover mechanisms of drug action in psychiatric disorders. This review provides an overview of key techniques used in pharmaMRI, including BOLD-fMRI, arterial spin labeling (ASL), and cerebral blood volume (CBV) mapping, and how they have advanced our understanding of drug-i…
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