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Longitudinal proton spectroscopy study of the prefrontal cortex in youth at risk for bipolar disorder before and after their first mood episode
Author(s) -
Nery Fabiano G.,
Weber Wade A.,
Blom Thomas J.,
Welge Jeffrey,
Patino Luis R.,
Strawn Jeffrey R.,
Chu WenJang,
Adler Caleb M.,
Komoroski Richard A.,
Strakowski Stephen M.,
DelBello Melissa P.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
bipolar disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.285
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1399-5618
pISSN - 1398-5647
DOI - 10.1111/bdi.12770
Subject(s) - mood , bipolar disorder , medicine , psychology , ventrolateral prefrontal cortex , prefrontal cortex , creatine , mood disorders , anterior cingulate cortex , psychiatry , endocrinology , clinical psychology , anxiety , cognition
Abstract Objectives To investigate neurochemical abnormalities in the left and right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of youth at risk for bipolar disorder using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy before and after their first mood episode. Methods Children and adolescents offspring of parents with bipolar I disorder (at‐risk group, n = 117) and matched healthy controls (HC group, n = 61) were recruited at the University of Cincinnati. At‐risk subjects had no lifetime major mood and psychotic disorders at baseline, and were followed up every 4 months to monitor for development of a major depressive, manic, hypomanic, or mixed mood episode. Levels of N ‐acetyl‐aspartate (NAA), phosphocreatine plus creatine (PCr + Cr), choline‐containing compounds, myo‐inositol, and glutamate were determined using LCModel and corrected for partial volume effects. Results There were no baseline differences in metabolite levels for any of the brain regions between at‐risk and HC youth. Nineteen at‐risk subjects developed a first mood episode during follow‐up. Survival analyses showed that baseline PCr + Cr levels in the left VLPFC significantly predicted a mood episode during follow‐up in the at‐risk group (HR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.27‐0.82, P = 0.008). There were no longitudinal changes in metabolites levels in the VLPFC and ACC before and after a mood episode in at‐risk subjects. Conclusions We found no evidence for abnormal proton spectroscopy metabolite levels in the VLPFC and ACC of at‐risk youth, prior and after the development of their first mood episode. Preliminary findings of association between baseline PCr + Cr levels in the left VLPFC and risk to develop a mood episode warrant further investigation.