Imaging helps diagnose bipolar disease

[Droopy]

http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?Section=Top_Story&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=19467

IN A SCIENTIFIC paper session yesterday, John D. Port, M.D., Ph.D., presented what he called the largest study of drug and medication-free bipolar patients ever performed. Dr. Port is a consultant and assistant professor of radiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. His team used MR spectroscopy of the brain to identify significant differences between the brain chemistries of people with and without bipolar disorder.

"Psychiatric illness in general is one of the most challenging areas of medicine to diagnose," Dr. Port said. "There are no physical signs of the illness, no tests to confirm it. It often takes years of meeting with a psychiatrist to get a diagnosis. Nobody ever puts the whole picture together. As a result, those with bipolar disorder are a very underserved population."

<snip>

MR spectroscopy allows researchers to analyze chemical properties of brain tissue. They studied 60 to 70 regions of the brain, gathering thousands of points of data. They also analyzed the brain's metabolites, chemical substances produced as the body processes energy.

The group found the metabolite balance in bipolar patients was significantly different than that of the control group in brain areas responsible for behavior, movement, vision, reading and sensory information.

More at the link.


I think this is an excellent breakthrough in medicine and could lead to people suffering so much less as they can get treatment sooner.

[HEAVYHEART]

1. Interesting

[Deja Q]

2. I just spent 2 hours in a giant crock pot labeled "MRI machine"

To check out my brain and cervical spine.

Will those tests determine if I'm loopy in the brain?

[Droopy]

3. I don't know if an MRI is the same thing as in the story

I don't know if that's what they use for brain imaging or not. I've also seen a story on tv where they conducted brain imaging of schizophrenic patients and it showed that they have very significant differences in their brains than a healthy person.

[blue neen]

4. You know, it's so encouraging that they are using science to

diagnose bipolar illness, rather than just guessing. My son is bipolar. I could see the changes in him, but I couldn't get a doctor to listen to me. He is a type 2 bipolar so he didn't have the incredible highs. It's more of a depressive illness for him.

We couldn't get anyone to treat him until it was almost too late.
Diagnostic tools would be extremely helpful.

[Droopy]

5. How old is your son, blue neen?

It can be very difficult to diagnose mental illness especially in very young people because they often don't have the ability to express themselves as well as adults. Hell, even in adults some illnesses can make it very difficult to diagnose. In my case I could not express myself well due to my symptoms and it took a long time to get the proper diagnosis. I hope your son is doing well. Bipolar can be a particularly nasty disease, but with treatment most people suffering from it can lead happy lives.

[blue neen]

6. He's 21.

I knew something was going on from about the time he was 13. It was beyond the normal adolescent-type stuff. The doctors kept telling me "You worry too much."

When my son looks back on it now, he says he started feeling differently in the 7th grade.

He's doing very well now. He takes a combination of Effexor and Lithium and is stabilized on that. Thank you so much for asking. It has been quite a journey. :)