Trial reportPsychopharmacology2009
A therapeutic dose of zolpidem reduces thalamic GABA in healthy volunteers: a proton MRS study at 4 T.
Trial report in Psychopharmacology, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Zolpidem for the Treatment of Dystonia.Frontiers in neurology · 2019Pooled it
- Thalamic Gamma Aminobutyric Acid Level Changes in Major Depressive Disorder After a 12-Week Iyengar Yoga and Coherent Breathing Intervention.Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2020Trial
- Modest abuse-related subjective effects of zolpidem in drug-naive volunteers.Behavioural pharmacology · 2011Trial
- Baclofen, a GABAb receptor agonist, impairs motor learning in healthy people and changes inhibitory dynamics in motor areas.Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2025Article
- A comprehensive guide to MEGA-PRESS for GABA measurement.Analytical biochemistry · 2023Review
- Efficacy and Safety of Zolpidem for Focal Dystonia After Neurosurgical Treatments: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Article
- Effects of Yoga on Thalamic Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Mood and Depression: Analysis of Two Randomized Controlled Trials.Neuropsychiatry · 2018Article
- GABAergic contributions to alcohol responsivity during adolescence: insights from preclinical and clinical studies.Pharmacology & therapeutics · 2014Review
- Contributions of magnetic resonance spectroscopy to understanding development: potential applications in the study of adolescent alcohol use and abuse.Development and psychopathology · 2014Review
- Frontal lobe γ-aminobutyric acid levels during adolescence: associations with impulsivity and response inhibition.Biological psychiatry · 2013Article
- GABA-based evaluation of neurologic conditions: MR spectroscopy.AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology · 2013Review
- Reduced γ-aminobutyric acid in occipital and anterior cingulate cortices in primary insomnia: a link to major depressive disorder?Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2012Article
- Efficacy of zolpidem for dystonia: a study among different subtypes.Frontiers in neurology · 2012Article
- In vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy of GABA: a methodological review.Progress in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy · 2012Review
- Neurochemistry of drug action: insights from proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging and their relevance to addiction.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2010Review
- Treatment of Isolated Dystonia with Zolpidem.Movement disorders clinical practiceArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundZolpidem is a nonbenzodiazepine sedative/hypnotic that acts at GABA(A) receptors to influence inhibitory neurotransmission throughout the central nervous system. A great deal is known about the behavioral effects of this drug in humans and laboratory animals, but little is known about zolpidem's specific effects on neurochemistry in vivo.
objectivesWe evaluated how acute administration of zolpidem affected levels of GABA, glutamate, glutamine, and other brain metabolites. MATERIALS AND
methodsProton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) at 4 T was employed to measure the effects of zolpidem on brain chemistry in 19 healthy volunteers. Participants underwent scanning following acute oral administration of a therapeutic dose of zolpidem (10 mg) in a within-subject, single-blind, placebo-controlled, single-visit study. In addition to neurochemical measurements from single voxels within the anterior cingulate (ACC) and thalamus, a series of questionnaires were administered periodically throughout the experimental session to assess subjective mood states.
resultsZolpidem reduced GABA levels in the thalamus, but not the ACC. There were no treatment effects with respect to other metabolite levels. Self-reported ratings of "dizzy," "nauseous," "confused," and "bad effects" were increased relative to placebo, as were ratings on the sedation/intoxication (PCAG) and psychotomimetic/dysphoria (LSD) scales of the Addiction Research Center Inventory. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between the decrease in GABA and "dizzy."
conclusionsZolpidem engendered primarily dysphoric-like effects and the correlation between reduced thalamic GABA and "dizzy" may be a function of zolpidem's interaction with alpha1GABA(A) receptors in the cerebellum, projecting through the vestibular system to the thalamus.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.