title: MR spectroscopy: its potential role for drug development for the treatment of psychiatric diseases.
abstract: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is likely in the near future to play a key role in the process of drug discovery and evaluation. As the pharmaceutical industry seeks biochemical markers of drug delivery, efficacy and toxicity, this non-invasive technique offers numerous ways to study adults and children repeatedly and without ionizing radiation. In this article, we survey an array of the information that MRS offers about neurochemistry in general and psychiatric disorders and their treatment in particular. We also present growing evidence of glial abnormalities in neuropsychiatric disorders and discuss what MRS is contributing to that line of investigation. The third major direction of this article is the discussion of where MRS techniques are headed and how those new techniques can contribute to studies of mechanisms of psychiatric disease and drug discovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Yale University, School of Medicine, 300 Cedar St, New Haven, CT 06520-8043, USA. graeme.mason@yale.edu
authors.forename: Graeme F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Krystal
mesh_terms: D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D004341:Drug Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007294:Inositol / Q000378:metabolism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D007294:Inositol; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D002794:Choline