Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Affective Disorders

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a non-invasive tool for in vivo chemical analysis that has been applied to neurobiological or psychopharmacological studies of affective disorders. Studies employing 31P-MRS and 1H-MRS have indicated possible abnormalities in membrane phospholipid metabolism, high-energy phosphate metabolism, and intracellular pH in affective disorders. They have also suggested that lithium increases the phosphomonoester (possibly inositol-1-phosphate) peak in the brain but does not increase that of choline-containing compounds in the brain. Studies employing 7Li-MRS and 19F-MRS have elucidated the pharmacokinetic properties of lithium, fluoxetine, and fluvoxamine in the brain in patients treated with these drugs.