Title:A Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study of Lovastatin for Treating Bipolar Mood Disorder: A 4-Week Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo- Controlled Clinical Trial
Volume: 10
Issue: 2
Author(s): Mehrzad Lotfi, Sara Shafiee, Ahmd Ghanizadeh, Motahar O. Sigaroudi and Leila Razeghian
Affiliation:
Keywords:
N-Acetyleaspartate, bipolar mood disorder, choline, creatine, lovastatin, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.
Abstract: Background: No trial has examined the effect of lovastatin on the brain
metabolites in patients with bipolar mood disorder.
Objectives: Current medications for treating bipolar disorders cause metabolic syndrome.
It is supposed that lovastatin not only decreases the rate of metabolic syndrome
but also impacts some brain metabolites and their ratio like common treatments
that are measured by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.
Methods: 27 Manic phase patients were randomly allocated into two groups, lovastatin
and placebo as their adjuant medication. Clinical symptoms were assessed at
baseline, weeks 2, 4. The brain metabolites were measured at baseline and week 4.
Result: Regarding the change of clinical symptoms, no significant difference was found between two
groups. However, lovastatin significantly increased the level of NAA in cingulate gyrus in comparison to
the placebo group. Moreover, lovastatin more than placebo increased creatine in the left basal ganglia.
Furthermore, choline/ creatine showed a significant decrease in the left basal ganglia in lovastatin group.
Conclusion: Using MRS after treating with lovastatin showed lovastatin increases NAA in cingulate
gyrus, indicating the possible effect of NAA for increasing the reduced viable neuron. Moreover, the
increment of Cr by lovastatin in the left basal ganglia suggests the role of lovastatin for maintaining energy
homeostasis, anti-apoptotic activity and ATP production in bipolar disorder. Some patents using
lovastatin as an adjuant therapy for treating bipolar patients and depression in MDD patients are
also outlined. This trial was registered in the Iranian Clinical Trials Registry (http://www.irct.ir/)
(IRCT201302203930N18).
