title: Relationship between body mass index and hippocampal glutamate/glutamine in bipolar disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We previously reported that patients with early-stage bipolar disorder, but not healthy comparison controls, had body mass index (BMI)-related volume reductions in limbic brain areas, suggesting that the structural brain changes characteristic of bipolar disorder were more pronounced with increased weight.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the most consistently reported neurochemical abnormality in bipolar disorder, increased glutamate/glutamine (Glx), was also more prominent with higher BMI.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure hippocampal Glx in 51 patients with first-episode mania (mean BMI = 24.1) and 28 healthy controls (mean BMI = 23.3).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In patients, but not healthy controls, linear regression demonstrated that higher BMI predicted greater Glx. Factorial ANCOVA showed a significant BMI × diagnosis interaction, confirming a distinct effect of weight on Glx in patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Together with our volumetric studies, these results suggest that higher BMI is associated with more pronounced structural and neurochemical limbic brain changes in bipolar disorder, even in early-stage patients with low obesity rates.
authors.affiliation: David J. Bond, MD, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA; Leonardo Evangelista da Silveira, MD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisas Experimentais, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre and INCT for Translational Medicine, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Erin L. MacMillan, PhD, Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Ivan J. Torres, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Donna J. Lang, PhD, Wayne Su, MSc, William G. Honer, MD, Centre for Complex Disorders, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Raymond W. Lam, MD, Lakshmi N. Yatham, MBBS, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Bond
authors.affiliation: David J. Bond, MD, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA; Leonardo Evangelista da Silveira, MD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisas Experimentais, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre and INCT for Translational Medicine, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Erin L. MacMillan, PhD, Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Ivan J. Torres, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Donna J. Lang, PhD, Wayne Su, MSc, William G. Honer, MD, Centre for Complex Disorders, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Raymond W. Lam, MD, Lakshmi N. Yatham, MBBS, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Leonardo Evangelista
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: da Silveira
authors.affiliation: David J. Bond, MD, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA; Leonardo Evangelista da Silveira, MD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisas Experimentais, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre and INCT for Translational Medicine, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Erin L. MacMillan, PhD, Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Ivan J. Torres, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Donna J. Lang, PhD, Wayne Su, MSc, William G. Honer, MD, Centre for Complex Disorders, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Raymond W. Lam, MD, Lakshmi N. Yatham, MBBS, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Erin L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: MacMillan
authors.affiliation: David J. Bond, MD, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA; Leonardo Evangelista da Silveira, MD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisas Experimentais, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre and INCT for Translational Medicine, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Erin L. MacMillan, PhD, Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Ivan J. Torres, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Donna J. Lang, PhD, Wayne Su, MSc, William G. Honer, MD, Centre for Complex Disorders, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Raymond W. Lam, MD, Lakshmi N. Yatham, MBBS, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Ivan J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.affiliation: David J. Bond, MD, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA; Leonardo Evangelista da Silveira, MD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisas Experimentais, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre and INCT for Translational Medicine, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Erin L. MacMillan, PhD, Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Ivan J. Torres, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Donna J. Lang, PhD, Wayne Su, MSc, William G. Honer, MD, Centre for Complex Disorders, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Raymond W. Lam, MD, Lakshmi N. Yatham, MBBS, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Donna J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.affiliation: David J. Bond, MD, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA; Leonardo Evangelista da Silveira, MD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisas Experimentais, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre and INCT for Translational Medicine, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Erin L. MacMillan, PhD, Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Ivan J. Torres, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Donna J. Lang, PhD, Wayne Su, MSc, William G. Honer, MD, Centre for Complex Disorders, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Raymond W. Lam, MD, Lakshmi N. Yatham, MBBS, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: David J. Bond, MD, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA; Leonardo Evangelista da Silveira, MD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisas Experimentais, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre and INCT for Translational Medicine, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Erin L. MacMillan, PhD, Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Ivan J. Torres, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Donna J. Lang, PhD, Wayne Su, MSc, William G. Honer, MD, Centre for Complex Disorders, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Raymond W. Lam, MD, Lakshmi N. Yatham, MBBS, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Honer
authors.affiliation: David J. Bond, MD, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA; Leonardo Evangelista da Silveira, MD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisas Experimentais, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre and INCT for Translational Medicine, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Erin L. MacMillan, PhD, Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Ivan J. Torres, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Donna J. Lang, PhD, Wayne Su, MSc, William G. Honer, MD, Centre for Complex Disorders, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Raymond W. Lam, MD, Lakshmi N. Yatham, MBBS, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Raymond W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: David J. Bond, MD, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA; Leonardo Evangelista da Silveira, MD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Centro de Pesquisas Experimentais, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre and INCT for Translational Medicine, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Erin L. MacMillan, PhD, Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Ivan J. Torres, PhD, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Donna J. Lang, PhD, Wayne Su, MSc, William G. Honer, MD, Centre for Complex Disorders, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Raymond W. Lam, MD, Lakshmi N. Yatham, MBBS, Mood Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada yatham@mail.ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Lakshmi N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Yatham
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D005973:Glutamine / Q000737:chemistry*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005973:Glutamine; D018698:Glutamic Acid