Die Suchmaschine für Unternehmensdaten in Europa
UK-Förderung (1.092.225 £): Bipolare Lithium-Bildgebungsstruktur und Spektroskopie Ukri 01.04.2014 Forschung und Innovation im Vereinigten Königreich, Großbritannien
Auf einen Blick
Text
Bipolare Lithium-Bildgebungsstruktur und Spektroskopie
| Zusammenfassung | Bipolar disorder is a common psychiatric illness characterized by periods of depression (low mood, loss of enjoyment, reduced energy) and mania (elevated mood, racing thoughts, disturbed behaviour). Relapses can occur frequently and many patients do not fully recover between episodes, struggling with mood fluctuations and poor concentration. Bipolar disorder is highly disabling, seriously disrupting health, family relationships, social circumstances and occupational status. Lifespan is reduced on average by 9 years and one third of patients attempt suicide. Stability in life is undermined by the threat of relapse, the risk of which increases with each episode of illness. Numerous medications are effective in acute episodes but in patients with a recurrent illness, maintenance treatment is advisable. A goal of maintenance treatment is the prevention of relapse and drugs which are capable of this are called mood stabilisers. Lithium is a unique mood stabiliser, treating and preventing mania and depression whilst reducing suicidal behaviour. To be effective against relapse, patients must take lithium for a long time at an adequate dose. The dose is determined by the lithium level in the blood, aiming for a level which is known to be effective but lower than that at which toxicity occurs. Whilst a substantial proportion of patients have a good response to lithium, the rest experience a partial or limited response, or are unable to tolerate the side effects, despite having blood levels within the therapeutic range. Potential responders may be identified clinically, having a higher age of onset and a pattern of illness in which mania is followed by depression. Those in whom depression precedes mania do poorly with lithium, as do patients with constant cycling or numerous hospital admissions. However, the ability of these observations to predict response to lithium is fairly poor. Further, they are of limited value for patients early in the course of their illness in whom a pattern of illness has not yet emerged. Reliance on such predictors could mean that lithium initiation is delayed well past the point at which it was first indicated. Understanding the mechanism of action of lithium might lead to a better way of determining which patients would be most likely to benefit from taking it. Whilst much is known about what effects lithium has, we lack a satisfactory account of its mode of action in bipolar disorder. It regulates the transmission of signals in the mood circuits of the brain, altering the concentration of key chemicals and the tendency for nerve cells to respond to a stimuli. It has been shown that lithium protects the brain from the damaging effects of psychiatric illness, stimulating the regeneration of damaged nerve cells and possibly even the growth of new brain tissue. Recent advances in brain imaging techniques mean that many of these effects can be safely and non-invasively detected using a magnetic resonance scanner. My research will explore the relationship between the clinical effects of lithium and magnetic resonance estimates of its actions on the brain. Using advanced scanning techniques I will examine brain structure and composition in a group of patients with bipolar disorder taking lithium and compare the results against a group of patients with bipolar disorder taking other long term medications (and naive to lithium). Having thus identified potential markers of the effects of lithium, I will explore the extent to which each magnetic resonance measure accounts for the degree of response to lithium or the severity of its side effects. I will also determine the distribution of lithium in the brain using a novel adaptation of our magnetic resonance scanner - currently only available in our University. I expect that direct measures of brain lithium concentration will inform our understanding of its actions and improve the prediction of response compared to routine blood monitoring. |
| Kategorie | Fellowship |
| Referenz | MR/L006642/1 |
| Status | Closed |
| Laufzeit von | 01.04.2014 |
| Laufzeit bis | 31.10.2020 |
| Fördersumme | 1.092.225,00 £ |
| Quelle | https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR%2FL006642%2F1 |
Beteiligte Organisationen
| NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY | |
| University of Milan | |
| Poznan University of Medical Sciences | |
| University of Gothenburg | |
| Aix-Marseille University | |
| University of Copenhagen | |
| ConLiGen | |
| ACOBIOM | |
| European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network | |
| KING'S COLLEGE LONDON | |
| National Center for Scientific Research (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS) | |
| NeuroSpin | |
| Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) | |
| Technical University of Dresden | |
| Brescia Fatebenefratelli | |
| Public Assistance - Hospitals of Paris | |
| Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU Munich) | |
| National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS) | |
| University of Barcelona |
Die Bekanntmachung bezieht sich auf einen vergangenen Zeitpunkt, und spiegelt nicht notwendigerweise den heutigen Stand wider. Der letzte verfügbare Stand wird auf folgender Seite wiedergegeben: Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Großbritannien.