Functional Effects of Botox on the Brain Using MRS and fMRI

Summary

The injection of BOTOX into peripheral muscles has been shown to have therapeutic effects in a growing number of indications including disorders involving skeletal muscle (e.g., strabismus, blepharospasm, cervical dystonia, spasticity, cosmetic), smooth muscle (e.g., bladder), glands (axillary hyperhidrosis) and nociceptive pain (e.g. migraine) (Brin. 2014). Recently, several studies have suggested that peripheral BOTOX injections in the region of the glabellar lines (muscles around the eyes) may be effective in treating major depression and chronic migraine. However, the mechanism underlying the effect of peripheral BOTOX injections on the brain is not well understood. Therefore, the Investigators propose to further explore the functional effects of BOTOX injections on brain in healthy controls. The approach will involve the measurement of brain metabolites in the brainstem using MRS as well as an investigation of the functioning and connectivity between regions of the brain using resting state MRI and high resolution fMRI.

Timeline

Start

2017-09-30

Primary completion

2018-03-16

Completion

2018-03-16

Publications

• Stark S, Stark C, Wong B, Brin MF. Modulation of amygdala activity for emotional faces due to botulinum toxin type A injections that prevent frowning. Sci Rep. 2023 Feb 27;13(1):3333. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-29280-x.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.