N-acetylaspartate normalization in bipolar depression after lamotrigine treatment.
Bipolar Disord
; 17(4): 450-7, 2015 Jun.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25495884
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
The aim of the present study was to examine N-acetylaspartate (NAA), a general marker of neuronal viability, and total NAA (tNAA), the combined signal of NAA and N-acetylaspartylglutamate, in bipolar depression before and after lamotrigine treatment. Given that NAA is synthesized through direct acetylation of aspartate by acetyl-coenzyme A-l-aspartate-N-acetyltransferase, we hypothesized that treatment with lamotrigine would be associated with an increase in NAA level.METHODS:
Patients with bipolar depression underwent two-dimensional proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the anterior cingulate at baseline (n = 15) and after 12 weeks of lamotrigine treatment (n = 10). A group of age-matched healthy controls (n = 9) underwent scanning at baseline for comparison.RESULTS:
At baseline, patients with bipolar depression had significantly lower NAA [mean standard deviation (SD) = 1.13 (0.21); p = 0.02] than controls [mean (SD) = 1.37 (0.27)]. Significant increases in NAA [mean (SD) = 1.39 (0.21); p = 0.01] and tNAA [mean (SD) = 1.61 (0.25); p = 0.02] levels were found after 12 weeks of lamotrigine treatment.CONCLUSIONS:
These data suggest an NAA deficit in bipolar depression that is normalized after lamotrigine treatment. Future research is warranted to evaluate whether baseline NAA level is a potential biomarker for identifying lamotrigine response patterns and whether this functional brain change has an associated clinical response.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Triazines
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Bipolar Disorder
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Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
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Aspartic Acid
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
Bipolar Disord
Journal subject:
PSIQUIATRIA
Year:
2015
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States