Adrenergic Receptor Agonist Vs Antagonist Tuning Functional Connectivity in Resting State

Fatima Ali Nasrallah¹, Amanda Simin¹, Chen Kaina¹, Kai-Hsiang Chuang¹

Receptor targeted pharmaceuticals are applied to modulate neurotransmission to investigate the neural correlate of resting state functional connectivity. The 2 adrenergic receptor agonist, Medetomidine, and antagonist, Atipamezole, were used to understand the role of the adrenergic system in modulating functional connectivity. Activation of the 2 receptor caused a dosage dependant loss of interhemispheric connectivity compared to deactivation of the receptor by the antagonist which resulted in an increase in functional connectivity. This study provides an insight into the underlying basis of functional connectivity.