title: Neurochemical pathology in hippocampus in euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Subcortical regions such as hippocampus, thalamus and ventral putamen are assumed to be involved in the pathophysiology of mood regulation. Disturbed hippocampal neuronal function indicated by reduced N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) levels in bipolar patients was shown by several studies. Results in thalamus and putamen are inconsistent.
  
  
  METHODS
  N-acetyl-aspartate, choline (Cho), creatine (Cr) and myo-inositol (Ins) were measured in left hippocampus, left thalamus and left putamen using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in 13 euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder and 13 pairwise matched healthy control subjects. Metabolic ratios NAA/Cr, NAA/Cho, Cho/Cr and Ins/Cr were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with bipolar I disorder demonstrated significantly reduced NAA/Cr in the left hippocampus compared with healthy control subjects. No alterations were found in thalamus or putamen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We hypothesize that this NAA/Cr reduction might reflect neuronal dysfunction in the left hippocampus in patients with bipolar disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Georg-August-University Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany. hscherk@uni-goettingen.de
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Scherk
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Backens
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schneider-Axmann
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kemmer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Usher
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Reith
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Falkai
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gruber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism*; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism*; D019263:Dysthymic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007294:Inositol / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011699:Putamen / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D013788:Thalamus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D001224:Aspartic Acid; D007294:Inositol; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine; D002794:Choline