Amygdala volume in depressed patients with bipolar disorder assessed using high resolution 3T MRI: the impact of medication.

MRI-based reports of both abnormally increased and decreased amygdala volume in bipolar disorder (BD) have surfaced in the literature. Two major methodological weaknesses characterizing extant studies are treatment with medication and inaccurate segmentation of the amygdala due to limitations in spatial and tissue contrast resolution. Here, we acquired high-resolution images (voxel size=0.55 x 0.55 x 0.60 mm) using a GE 3T MRI scanner, and a pulse sequence optimized for tissue contrast resolution. The amygdala was manually segmented by one rater blind to diagnosis, using coronal images. Eighteen unmedicated (mean medication-free period 11+/-10 months) BD subjects were age and gender matched with 18 healthy controls, and 17 medicated (lithium or divalproex) subjects were matched to 17 different controls. The unmedicated BD patients displayed smaller left and right amygdala volumes than their matched control group (p<0.01). Conversely, the BD subjects undergoing medication treatment showed a trend towards greater amygdala volumes than their matched HC sample (p=0.051). Right and left amygdala volumes were larger (p<0.05) or trended larger, respectively, in the medicated BD sample compared with the unmedicated BD sample. The two control groups did not differ from each other in either left or right amygdala volume. BD patients treated with lithium have displayed increased gray matter volume of the cortex and hippocampus relative to untreated BD subjects in previous studies. Here we extend these results to the amygdala. We raise the possibility that neuroplastic changes in the amygdala associated with BD are moderated by some mood stabilizing medications.

Interpersonal Psychotherapy for depressed adolescents (IPT-A): an overview.

This paper reviews the main principles of Interpersonal Psychotherapy and its adaptation for depressed adolescents (IPT-A). The work of IPT-A is put in the context of the significant problem of depression in adolescence and the other treatments and their efficacy in the treatment of adolescent depression. The paper also provides an overview of the approach and specific techniques to be used with adolescents. The efficacy and effectiveness data on IPT-A are presented briefly. IPT-A is an empirically supported psychotherapy for depressed, non-bipolar and non-psychotic adolescents. IPT-A is unique among evidence-based treatments in its demonstrated effectiveness when transported from a laboratory setting to a community setting (school-based health clinics) and delivered by community clinicians. Future studies are needed with other populations that include long-term follow-up of outcomes and are conducted by other investigator teams.