Related Experiment Videos
Identifying lithium-responsive bipolar depressed patients using nuclear magnetic resonance
The American Journal of Psychiatry
|June 1, 1986
Summary
Proton T1 relaxation times in red blood cells were elevated in bipolar depression patients. Lithium therapy for one week reduced these times in most patients.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Neuroscience
- Hematology
Background:
- Altered red blood cell (RBC) properties may be associated with bipolar disorder.
- Proton T1 relaxation times, a biophysical measure, have not been extensively studied in RBCs of bipolar patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in RBC proton T1 relaxation times between bipolar depressed patients and healthy controls.
- To assess the effect of lithium treatment on RBC proton T1 relaxation times in bipolar depression.
Main Methods:
- Proton T1 relaxation times of RBCs were measured using magnetic resonance imaging techniques.
- Measurements were taken before and after one week of lithium therapy in bipolar patients.
Main Results:
- Significantly higher RBC proton T1 relaxation times were observed in six bipolar depressed patients compared to matched normal controls prior to lithium treatment.
- Following one week of lithium therapy, a decrease in RBC proton T1 relaxation times was noted in five out of the six patients.
Conclusions:
- Elevated RBC proton T1 relaxation times may be a biomarker for bipolar depression.
- Lithium treatment appears to normalize RBC proton T1 relaxation times in bipolar depression.