Electroencephalogram-based pharmacodynamic measures: a review

Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2012 Mar;50(3):162-84. doi: 10.5414/cp201484.

Abstract

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics can provide a useful modeling framework for predicting drug activity and can serve as a basis for dose optimization. Determining a suitable biomarker or surrogate measure of drug effect for pharmacodynamic models can be challenging. The electroencephalograph is a widely-available and non-invasive tool for recording brainwave activity simultaneously from multiple brain regions. Certain drug classes (such as drugs that act on the central nervous system) also generate a reproducible electroencephalogram (EEG) effect. Characterization of such a drug-induced EEG effect can produce pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic models useful for titrating drug levels and expediting development of chemically-similar drug analogs. This paper reviews the relevant concepts involved in pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling using EEG-based pharmacodynamic measures. In addition, examples of such models for various drugs are organized by drug activity as well as chemical structure and presented.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Anesthetics / pharmacology
  • Antidepressive Agents / pharmacology
  • Antipsychotic Agents / pharmacology
  • Electroencephalography / drug effects*
  • Entropy
  • Evoked Potentials, Auditory / drug effects
  • Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Models, Biological

Substances

  • Anesthetics
  • Antidepressive Agents
  • Antipsychotic Agents