Shown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by SLS on May 9, 2012, at 11:47:36
Hippocampal volumes in bipolar disorders: opposing effects of illness burden and lithium treatment
Bipolar Disorders, 05/09/2012
Hajek T et al. Whereas patients with limited lifetime Li exposure had significantly lower hippocampal volumes than controls, patients with comparable illness burden, but with over two years of Li treatment, or young Linaive bipolar disorder patients, showed hippocampal volumes comparable to controls. These results provide indirect support for neuroprotective effects of Li and negative effects of illness burden on hippocampal volumes in bipolar disorders.
MethodsThe authors recruited 17 BD patients from specialized Li clinics, with at least two years of regularly monitored Li treatment (Li group), and compared them to 12 BD participants with < 3 months of lifetime Li exposure and no Li treatment within two years prior to the scanning (non-Li group) and 11 healthy controls.
All BD patients had at least 10 years of illness and five episodes.
The authors also recruited 13 Li-naïve, young BD participants (1530 years of age) and 18 sex- and age-matched healthy controls.
They compared hippocampal volumes obtained from 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans using optimized voxel-based morphometry with small volume correction.Results
The non-Li group had smaller left hippocampal volumes than controls (corrected p < 0.05), with a trend for lower volumes than the Li group (corrected p < 0.1), which did not differ from controls.
Young, Li-naive BD patients close to the typical age of onset had comparable hippocampal volumes to controls.
Posted by Phillipa on May 9, 2012, at 12:02:56
In reply to Lithium protects the hippocampus in BD., posted by SLS on May 9, 2012, at 11:47:36
So means if bipolar and take the meds lithium protects the brain from damage from meds so it's as if you didn't take meds? Thanks Phillipa
Posted by SLS on May 9, 2012, at 12:40:31
In reply to Re: Lithium protects the hippocampus in BD. » SLS, posted by Phillipa on May 9, 2012, at 12:02:56
> So means if bipolar and take the meds lithium protects the brain from damage from meds so it's as if you didn't take meds? Thanks Phillipa
That's a good question. Maybe. I think the starting point for constructing an answer to it is to know:
1. Whether or not medication damages the brain.
2. What damage is being produced.
3. Which medications produce such damage.
4. For which illnesses are these medications being used to treat.
- Scott
Posted by Twinleaf on May 9, 2012, at 17:07:35
In reply to Re: Lithium protects the hippocampus in BD. » Phillipa, posted by SLS on May 9, 2012, at 12:40:31
It's my understanding that depression itself, if sufficiently severe, results in hippocampal shrinkage. This is thought to be caused by abnormal amounts of cortisol and perhaps other stress hormones.
This is a very encouraging finding! I wonder if many more people suffering from depression might benefit from low-dose lithium.
Posted by SLS on May 9, 2012, at 19:44:04
In reply to Re: Lithium protects the hippocampus in BD., posted by Twinleaf on May 9, 2012, at 17:07:35
> It's my understanding that depression itself, if sufficiently severe, results in hippocampal shrinkage. This is thought to be caused by abnormal amounts of cortisol and perhaps other stress hormones.
>
> This is a very encouraging finding! I wonder if many more people suffering from depression might benefit from low-dose lithium.I asked my doctor to put me on low-dose lithium specifically for its neuroprotective and neurotrophic effects on the hippocampus. I did this without having an expectation that it would make me feel any better. I wanted the lithium to be working "in the background" and optimize my chances for responding to future treatments. I discovered that 300 mg did not produce any affective blunting as it did at higher dosages. In addition, I believe that it helped stabilize my depressive state. This was a welcome surprise. It suppressed my diurnal mood fluctuations and periodic worsenings that would last for several days.
- Scott
Posted by Twinleaf on May 9, 2012, at 20:12:15
In reply to Re: Lithium protects the hippocampus in BD. » Twinleaf, posted by SLS on May 9, 2012, at 19:44:04
I did almost the same thing, but, being extremely sensitive to medications, could take only 150- 300 mg. Still, I felt it was helpful, both in protecting the hippocampus and in making extreme emotional states less frequent. Unfortunately, even a low dose now gives me EPS - a feeling that my gait is unsteady, although my husband says it appears to be fine . If it didn't do that, I would definitely still be taking it. Protecting the hippocampus is so vital for recovery. TMS is supposed to have a similar protective effect, so I'm presently relying on that. So far, so good!
Posted by SLS on May 10, 2012, at 5:55:58
In reply to Re: Lithium protects the hippocampus in BD. » SLS, posted by Twinleaf on May 9, 2012, at 20:12:15
> I did almost the same thing, but, being extremely sensitive to medications, could take only 150- 300 mg. Still, I felt it was helpful, both in protecting the hippocampus and in making extreme emotional states less frequent. Unfortunately, even a low dose now gives me EPS - a feeling that my gait is unsteady, although my husband says it appears to be fine . If it didn't do that, I would definitely still be taking it. Protecting the hippocampus is so vital for recovery. TMS is supposed to have a similar protective effect, so I'm presently relying on that. So far, so good!
Are you still taking tianeptine (Stablon)?
I haven't looked into it in depth, but N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is supposed to have a neuroprotective effect, and does affect the hippocampus quite robustly. NAC is converted into glutathione in the body, which is a potent antioxident. However, I don't know all the ways in which NAC works to protect the hippocampus.
- Scott
Posted by Twinleaf on May 10, 2012, at 16:48:13
In reply to Re: Lithium protects the hippocampus in BD. » Twinleaf, posted by SLS on May 10, 2012, at 5:55:58
Thanks so much for the information about NAC; I'll try to find out more.
I still do take tianeptine, and think it's very helpful - I realize I'm one of the few who feels that way! It's both calming and enlivening.I like that it's an atypical tricyclic.
I'm so glad things are continuing to go well for you, and that the down periods are not too long-lasting
Posted by Phillipa on May 10, 2012, at 20:52:38
In reply to Re: Lithium protects the hippocampus in BD., posted by Twinleaf on May 10, 2012, at 16:48:13
I can provide the info later tonight. Phillipa
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