Magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging of lactate in patients with bipolar disorder

Psychiatry Res. 2013 Sep 30;213(3):230-4. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2013.03.004. Epub 2013 Jun 27.

Abstract

Although brain lactate levels are typically low and difficult to measure, a few previous investigators have reported that brain lactate levels are elevated in patients with bipolar disorder. The present study investigated the distribution of lactate in bipolar and healthy brains using 2D proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging on a 4-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging system. Ratios of the concentration of lactate to N-acetylaspartate, and of lactate to total creatine, were significantly higher in bipolar than in healthy subjects. Lactate signals were primarily localized to the bipolar subjects' caudate and anterior cingulate cortices, components of the frontal-subcortical circuit, suggesting that affective dysregulation may be related to metabolic abnormalities in this network.

Keywords: Anterior cingulate cortex; Caudate; Magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Aspartic Acid / analogs & derivatives
  • Aspartic Acid / metabolism
  • Bipolar Disorder / drug therapy
  • Bipolar Disorder / pathology*
  • Choline / metabolism
  • Creatine / metabolism
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lactic Acid / metabolism*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Male
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Aspartic Acid
  • Lactic Acid
  • N-acetylaspartate
  • Creatine
  • Choline