Preliminary in vivo evidence of increased N-acetyl-aspartate following eicosapentanoic acid treatment in patients with bipolar disorder

TY - JOUR

T1 - Preliminary in vivo evidence of increased N-acetyl-aspartate following eicosapentanoic acid treatment in patients with bipolar disorder

AU - Frangou, S

AU - Lewis, M

AU - WoUard, J

AU - Simmons, A

PY - 2007/7

Y1 - 2007/7

N2 - Ethyl-eicosapentanoic acid (ethyl-EPA) may be beneficial in the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD) and may have a neurotrophic/neuroprotective rote in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders. To investigate this we examined whether ethyl-EPA treatment of BD patients is associated with increased brain levels of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), a putative marker of neuronal integrity. Fourteen female ED outpatients with moderate depressive symptoms were administered 2 g of ethyl-EPA per day or placebo for 12 weeks in a randomized, double-blind fashion. Quantitative, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging data were obtained prior to randomization and after 12 weeks of treatment from a single 12 ml volume of interest centred above the body of the corpus callosum. A significant rise in NAA levels was observed in the ethyl-EPA treatment group compared with the placebo group (p=0.027). These results provide the first evidence for a probable neurotrophic role of ethyl-EPA treatment in ED underlining the need for more detailed investigation of its mechanism of action and therapeutic potential

AB - Ethyl-eicosapentanoic acid (ethyl-EPA) may be beneficial in the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD) and may have a neurotrophic/neuroprotective rote in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders. To investigate this we examined whether ethyl-EPA treatment of BD patients is associated with increased brain levels of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), a putative marker of neuronal integrity. Fourteen female ED outpatients with moderate depressive symptoms were administered 2 g of ethyl-EPA per day or placebo for 12 weeks in a randomized, double-blind fashion. Quantitative, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging data were obtained prior to randomization and after 12 weeks of treatment from a single 12 ml volume of interest centred above the body of the corpus callosum. A significant rise in NAA levels was observed in the ethyl-EPA treatment group compared with the placebo group (p=0.027). These results provide the first evidence for a probable neurotrophic role of ethyl-EPA treatment in ED underlining the need for more detailed investigation of its mechanism of action and therapeutic potential

U2 - 10.1177/0269881106067787

DO - 10.1177/0269881106067787

M3 - Article

SN - 1461-7285

VL - 21

SP - 435

EP - 439

JO - Journal of Psychopharmacology

JF - Journal of Psychopharmacology

IS - 4

ER -