A Risk Calculator for Bipolar Disorder in Youth: Improving the Odds for Personalized Prevention and Early Intervention?

There have been many longitudinal studies examining biological and environmental risk factors for developing bipolar disorder in youth. Specifically, well-established risk factors for bipolar disorder in children and adolescents include having a family history of bipolar disorder, depression, disruptive behavior disorders, psychosis, antidepressant-induced manic symptoms, anxiety, and subsyndromal symptoms of mania and depression.¹ In an effort to identify individuals at highest risk for developing bipolar disorder, several investigators have attempted to characterize a bipolar prodrome. A recent meta-analysis of early manifestations of bipolar disorder in youth found that the most common prodromal symptoms were increased energy, diminished ability to think, indecision, pressured speech, talkativeness, elated mood, academic or work difficulties, insomnia, depressed mood, and increased goal-directed activities.² The authors concluded that despite many of the participants having symptoms prior to their illness onset, there was significant heterogeneity in symptom presentation, making it difficult to define a consistent bipolar prodrome. Although it is important to explore risk factors and rates of early symptoms of incipient bipolar disorder, to date, most studies have examined risk within an entire group rather than quantified an individual's risk of having bipolar disorder, which is essential to advance personalized monitoring and treatment strategies.

Factor analysis of regional brain activation in bipolar and healthy individuals reveals a consistent modular structure

BACKGROUND

The neurophysiological substrates of cognition and emotion, as seen with fMRI, are generally explained using modular structures. The present study was designed to probe the modular structure of cognitive-emotional processing in bipolar and healthy individuals using factor analysis and compare the results with current conceptions of the neurophysiology of bipolar disorder.

METHODS

Exploratory factor analysis was used to assess patterns of covariation among brain regions-of-interest activated during the Continuous Performance Task with Emotional and Neutral Distractors in healthy and bipolar individuals without a priori constraints on the number or composition of latent factors.

RESULTS

Results indicated a common cognitive-emotional network consisting of prefrontal, medial temporal, limbic, parietal, anterior cingulate and posterior cingulate modules. However, reduced brain activation to emotional stimuli in the frontal, medial temporal and limbic modules was apparent in the bipolar relative to the healthy group, potentially accounting for emotional dysregulation in bipolar disorder.

LIMITATIONS

This study is limited by a relatively small sample size recruited at a single site. The results have yet to be validated on a larger independent sample.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the modular structure of cognitive-emotional processing is similar in bipolar and healthy individuals, activation in response to emotional/neutral cues varies. These findings are not only consistent with recent conceptions of mood regulation in bipolar disorder, but also suggest that regional activation can be considered within tighter modular structures without compromising data interpretation. This demonstration may serve as a template for data reduction in future region-of-interest analyses to increase statistical power.

Clinical Relevance Versus Statistical Significance: DelBello and Colleagues Respond to Editorial

We would like to respond to some concerns raised by Dr. McClellan in his editorial comment¹ on our article that reported the results of a placebo-controlled study of lurasidone for the treatment of children and adolescents with bipolar I depression.².

A 6-Month Open-Label Extension Study of Vortioxetine in Pediatric Patients with Depressive or Anxiety Disorders

OBJECTIVES

In this 6-month open-label extension (OLE) of NCT01491035 (a 14-day, open-label, pharmacokinetic/safety lead-in study), the long-term safety and tolerability of vortioxetine (5-20 mg/day) were investigated in children and adolescents with a DSM-IV-TR™ diagnosis of depressive or anxiety disorder in the United States or Germany. The study also was designed to provide data to inform dose selection and titration in future pediatric studies with vortioxetine.

METHODS

Safety evaluations included spontaneously reported adverse events (AEs), the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), and the Pediatric Adverse Events Rating Scale (PAERS; clinician administered). Clinical effectiveness was determined by Clinical Global Impressions. Comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder was permitted, including concomitant use of stimulant medication (US sites only).

RESULTS

Of the 47 patients who completed the lead-in period, 41 continued into the OLE. Most patients (n = 39 [95%]) continued their previous dose regimen. Twenty-one patients (51%) withdrew during the OLE; the most common primary reasons were administrative [n = 8], AEs [n = 4], and lack of efficacy [n = 3]. Thirty-five patients (85%) had ≥1 AE, 86% of which were mild or moderate in severity. Five patients (12%) reported a severe AE, none of which was considered related to study medication. The most common AEs (≥10%) were headache (27%), nausea (20%), dysmenorrhea (females; 19%), and vomiting (15%), with no relationship between AE intensity and age or dose. Five patients reported instances of suicidal ideation during the OLE, one of whom also reported this during the lead-in period. Two patients had nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior; one had a nonfatal suicide attempt. Throughout the study, there was a decrease over time in the incidence and intensity of AEs collected using the PAERS. Effectiveness assessment indicated a trend toward improvement based on numeric results.

CONCLUSION

This OLE confirms the findings from the lead-in study, which concluded that a dosing strategy of 5-20 mg/day is safe, well tolerated, and suitable for future clinical studies of vortioxetine in pediatric patients.

Antidepressant-Induced Activation in Children and Adolescents: Risk, Recognition and Management

The tolerability of antidepressants is poorly characterized in children and adolescents with depressive and anxiety disorders. Among adverse events that affect the tolerability of antidepressants in youth is activation, a cluster of symptoms that represent a hyperarousal event characterized by impulsivity, restlessness, and/or insomnia. This cluster of symptoms was first identified as a side effect of selective serotonin and selective serotonin norepinephrine inhibitors (SSRIs and SSNRIs) in the early 1990s; however, activation remains poorly characterized in terms of prevalence, risk factors, and pathophysiology. This article describes the pathophysiology of antidepressant-related activation, predictors of activation and its clinical management in youth with depressive and anxiety disorders who are treated with antidepressant medications.

A Pharmacologic Algorithm for Youth Who Are at High Risk for Bipolar Disorder

OBJECTIVE

Depression and brief periods of manic symptoms are linked to a significant risk of progression to bipolar disorder (BD) in children who have a first-degree relative with BD I or II. However, little evidence exists to guide the pharmacologic management of children with these high-risk phenotypes. We propose a pharmacological treatment algorithm for high-risk youth and present results on its use in a study of children with a first-degree relative with BD.

METHODS

Subjects were 40 youth (mean 12.7 years, range 9-17 years) who had (1) a first-degree relative with lifetime history of BD I or II, (2) DSM-IV-TR diagnoses of BD not otherwise specified, major depressive disorder or cyclothymic disorder, and (3) active symptoms of depression, mania, or hypomania. Participants and their families were enrolled in a randomized trial examining the effects of two psychosocial interventions on the 1-year course of mood disorder. At study intake, participants received a psychiatric evaluation and were offered medications or had existing medications optimized to decrease symptom severity. During the 1-year study, psychiatrists treated participants using a medication algorithm to treat depressive or manic symptoms as well as comorbid anxiety and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

RESULTS

At study entry, 25 of 40 (62.5%) of the participants were taking at least one psychiatric medication. At 1 year, nearly an identical proportion were taking medications (22 of 35, 63%). Independent ratings indicated that in 84.7% of the study visits, physicians maintained adherence to the algorithm. No patients experienced antidepressant- or stimulant-induced mania during the study.

CONCLUSIONS

An algorithmic approach to pharmacologic interventions may aid in the management of youth (i.e., age <18) at high risk for BD. Future studies should compare outcomes in high-risk patients receiving algorithm-prescribed treatment versus those receiving treatment as usual.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Early Family-Focused Treatment for Youth at Risk for Bipolar Disorder; www.clinicaltrials.gov/ ; NCT00943085.

The International Society for Bipolar Disorders Task Force report on pediatric bipolar disorder: Knowledge to date and directions for future research

OBJECTIVES

Over the past two decades, there has been tremendous growth in research regarding bipolar disorder (BD) among children and adolescents (ie, pediatric BD [PBD]). The primary purpose of this article is to distill the extant literature, dispel myths or exaggerated assertions in the field, and disseminate clinically relevant findings.

METHODS

An international group of experts completed a selective review of the literature, emphasizing areas of consensus, identifying limitations and gaps in the literature, and highlighting future directions to mitigate these gaps.

RESULTS

Substantial, and increasingly international, research has accumulated regarding the phenomenology, differential diagnosis, course, treatment, and neurobiology of PBD. Prior division around the role of irritability and of screening tools in diagnosis has largely abated. Gold-standard pharmacologic trials inform treatment of manic/mixed episodes, whereas fewer data address bipolar depression and maintenance/continuation treatment. Adjunctive psychosocial treatment provides a forum for psychoeducation and targets primarily depressive symptoms. Numerous neurocognitive and neuroimaging studies, and increasing peripheral biomarker studies, largely converge with prior findings from adults with BD.

CONCLUSIONS

As data have accumulated and controversy has dissipated, the field has moved past existential questions about PBD toward defining and pursuing pressing clinical and scientific priorities that remain. The overall body of evidence supports the position that perceptions about marked international (US vs elsewhere) and developmental (pediatric vs adult) differences have been overstated, although additional research on these topics is warranted. Traction toward improved outcomes will be supported by continued emphasis on pathophysiology and novel therapeutics.

Suicidality in psychiatrically hospitalized children and adolescents: Demographics, treatment, and outcome

BACKGROUND

Despite the high prevalence of suicidality in psychiatrically hospitalized youth, its risk factors and impact on inpatient psychopharmacologic treatment are unknown. We identified characteristics associated with suicidality in psychiatrically hospitalized youth and determined the association of suicidality with subsequent psychopharmacologic interventions.

METHODS

Medical records from consecutive psychiatric admissions to a large, acute care, urban, pediatric hospital were analyzed retrospectively (N = 1,309). Demographic, clinical, and treatment-related features of suicidal and nonsuicidal youth were characterized. Logistic regression identified predictors of suicidality, and multiple comparison analyses evaluated the association between suicidality and changes to antidepressant prescribing during inpatient course.

RESULTS

Compared with nonsuicidal patients, inpatients who were suicidal were more likely to have a mood disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as Cannabis and alcohol use, were more commonly girls, and at least 13 years of age (all P ≤ .05). Hospitalization was shorter for suicidal patients, was more likely to be associated with antidepressant treatment (P ≤ .001), and among suicidal patients prescribed antidepressants at the time of admission, was associated with a greater likelihood of changing antidepressant treatment compared with nonsuicidal inpatients (P ≤ .05).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings reveal differences between suicidal and nonsuicidal psychiatrically hospitalized youth and suggest that suicidality is associated with specific pharmacologic treatment approaches within this population.

The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale in adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder: Signal detection and validation

BACKGROUND

In pediatric patients with anxiety disorders, existing symptom inventories are either not freely available or require extensive time and effort to administer. We sought to evaluate a brief self-report scale-the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7)-in adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

METHODS

The Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (PARS) and the GAD-7 were administered to youth with GAD (confirmed by structured interview). Relationships between the measures were assessed, and sensitivity and specificity was determined with regard to a global symptom severity measure (Clinical Global Impression-Severity).

RESULTS

In adolescents with GAD (N = 40; mean age, 14.8 ± 2.8), PARS and GAD-7 scores strongly correlated (R = 0.65, P ≤ .001) and a main effect for symptom severity was observed (P ≤ .001). GAD-7 scores ≥11 and ≥17 represented the optimum specificity and sensitivity for detecting moderate and severe anxiety, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The PARS and GAD-7 similarly reflect symptom severity. The GAD-7 is associated with acceptable specificity and sensitivity for detecting clinically significant anxiety symptoms. GAD-7 scores may be used to assess anxiety symptoms and to differentiate between mild and moderate GAD in adolescents, and may be more efficient than the PARS.

Quality of life in children and adolescents with bipolar I depression treated with olanzapine/fluoxetine combination

BACKGROUND

We examined the efficacy of olanzapine/fluoxetine combination (OFC) in improving health-related quality of life (QoL) in the treatment of bipolar depression in children and adolescents.

METHODS

Patients aged 10-17 years with bipolar I disorder, depressed episode, baseline children's depression rating scale-revised (CDRS-R) total score ≥40, Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) total score ≤15, and YMRS-item 1 ≤ 2 were randomized to OFC (6/25-12/50 mg/day olanzapine/fluoxetine; n = 170) or placebo (n = 85) for up to 8 weeks of double-blind treatment. Patients and parents completed the revised KINDL questionnaire for measuring health-related QoL in children and adolescents (KINDL-R) at baseline and endpoint. The mean change in CDRS-R total and item scores were used to compare improvement in symptomatology in patients taking OFC and placebo. Tests were 2-sided using a Type I error cutoff of 0.05, and no adjustments for multiple comparisons were made.

RESULTS

Baseline QoL as measured by the KINDL-R was substantially impaired relative to published norms for a healthy school-based sample. OFC-treated patients demonstrated an improvement over placebo at endpoint with respect to mean change from baseline in the patient-rated KINDL-R Self-esteem subscale score (p = 0.028), and in the parent KINDL-R ratings of emotional well-being (p = 0.020), Self-esteem (p = 0.030), and Family (p = 0.006). At endpoint, OFC-treated patients still had a lower QoL compared to the normative population. OFC showed significant improvement (p ≤ 0.05) versus placebo on the CDRS-R total score and on 7 of the 17 CDRS-R items.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients aged 10-17 years with an acute episode of bipolar depression and their parents reported greater improvements (parents noticed improvements in more areas than did their offspring) on some aspects of QoL when treated with OFC compared with placebo. However, after 8 weeks of treatment, KINDL-R endpoint scores remained lower than those of the, presumably healthy, control population. Clinical trial registration information A Study for Assessing Treatment of Patients Ages 10-17 with Bipolar Depression; http://www.clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00844857.

Bipolar Disorder in Children With ADHD: A Clinical Sample Study

OBJECTIVE

To explore the impact of early-onset bipolar disorder (pediatric bipolar disorder [PBD]) on ADHD.

METHOD

We compared ADHD symptom severity, ADHD subtype distribution, and rates of comorbid and familial psychiatric disorders between 49 ADHD children with comorbid PBD and 320 ADHD children without PBD.

RESULTS

Children with ADHD and PBD showed higher scores in the Hyperactive and Inattentive subscales of the ADHD Rating Scale, than children with ADHD alone. The frequency of combined subtype was significantly higher in ADHD children with PBD, than in those with ADHD alone. ADHD children with PBD showed a higher rate of familial psychiatric disorders than ADHD children without PBD. The rate of conduct disorder was significantly greater in children with PBD and ADHD compared with children with ADHD alone.

CONCLUSION

ADHD along with PBD presents with several characteristics that distinguish it from ADHD alone, suggesting that these may be distinct disorders.

Prediction of lithium response in first-episode mania using the LITHium Intelligent Agent (LITHIA): Pilot data and proof-of-concept

OBJECTIVES

Individualized treatment for bipolar disorder based on neuroimaging treatment targets remains elusive. To address this shortcoming, we developed a linguistic machine learning system based on a cascading genetic fuzzy tree (GFT) design called the LITHium Intelligent Agent (LITHIA). Using multiple objectively defined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹ H-MRS) inputs, we tested whether LITHIA could accurately predict the lithium response in participants with first-episode bipolar mania.

METHODS

We identified 20 subjects with first-episode bipolar mania who received an adequate trial of lithium over 8 weeks and both fMRI and ¹ H-MRS scans at baseline pre-treatment. We trained LITHIA using 18 ¹ H-MRS and 90 fMRI inputs over four training runs to classify treatment response and predict symptom reductions. Each training run contained a randomly selected 80% of the total sample and was followed by a 20% validation run. Over a different randomly selected distribution of the sample, we then compared LITHIA to eight common classification methods.

RESULTS

LITHIA demonstrated nearly perfect classification accuracy and was able to predict post-treatment symptom reductions at 8 weeks with at least 88% accuracy in training and 80% accuracy in validation. Moreover, LITHIA exceeded the predictive capacity of the eight comparator methods and showed little tendency towards overfitting.

CONCLUSIONS

The results provided proof-of-concept that a novel GFT is capable of providing control to a multidimensional bioinformatics problem-namely, prediction of the lithium response-in a pilot data set. Future work on this, and similar machine learning systems, could help assign psychiatric treatments more efficiently, thereby optimizing outcomes and limiting unnecessary treatment.

White matter volumes in youth offspring of bipolar parents

BACKGROUND

Studying youth at high risk of developing bipolar disorder may clarify neurobiological factors associated with vulnerability to this illness. We present here a baseline characterization of brain structure in youth at-risk for bipolar disorder.

METHODS

Magnetic resonance images were obtained from 115 child and adolescent offspring of bipolar disorder type I subjects and 57 healthy child and adolescent offspring of healthy parents (healthy control offspring). Offspring of parents with bipolar disorder were divided into healthy bipolar offspring (n=47) or symptomatic bipolar offspring (n=68), according to presence or absence of childhood-onset psychopathology. All bipolar offspring were free of major mood and psychotic disorders. Gray (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes were compared between groups using voxel-based morphometry.

RESULTS

No differences in GM volumes were found across groups. Healthy bipolar offspring presented with decreased WM volumes in areas of the right frontal, temporal and parietal lobes, and in the left temporal and parietal lobes compared to healthy control offspring. Symptomatic bipolar offspring did not present with any differences in WM volumes compared to either healthy bipolar offspring or healthy control offspring.

LIMITATIONS

Cross-sectional design and heterogeneous sample of symptomatic bipolar offspring.

CONCLUSIONS

WM volume decreases in areas of the frontal, occipital, and parietal lobes are present in bipolar offspring prior to the development of any psychiatric symptoms, and may be a correlate of familial risk to bipolar disorder. In this large cohort, we have not found evidence for regional GM volume abnormalities as an endophenotype for bipolar disorder.

Familial risk for bipolar disorder is not associated with impaired peroxisomal function: Dissociation from docosahexaenoic acid deficits

Bipolar I disorder is associated with deficits in the long-chain omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3). The final biosynthesis of DHA is mediated by peroxisomes, and some heritable peroxisomal disorders are associated with DHA deficits and progressive psychopathology. The present cross-sectional study investigated whether medication-free asymptomatic and symptomatic youth with familial risk for bipolar I disorder exhibit impaired peroxisomal function using a comprehensive diagnostic blood panel. Measures of peroxisomal impairment included plasma concentrations of very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA), branched-chain fatty acids, bile acid intermediates, and pipecolic acid, and erythrocyte plasmalogen and DHA levels. Compared with healthy subjects, significant erythrocyte DHA deficits were observed in ultra-high risk and first-episode bipolar groups, and there was a trend for lower DHA in the high-risk group. There were no significant group differences for any other measure of peroxisomal function, and erythrocyte DHA levels were not correlated with any measure of peroxisome function. These results indicate that familial risk for bipolar I disorder is not associated with impaired peroxisomal function, and that DHA deficits associated with familial bipolar disorder are not attributed to heritable defects in peroxisomal function.

A 52-Week Study of Olanzapine with a Randomized Behavioral Weight Counseling Intervention in Adolescents with Schizophrenia or Bipolar I Disorder

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the 52-week safety/tolerability of oral olanzapine for adolescents with schizophrenia or bipolar mania and compare effectiveness of a standard versus intense behavioral weight intervention in mitigating risk of weight gain.

METHODS

Patients 13-17 years old with schizophrenia (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale for Children [BPRS-C] total score >30; item score ≥3 for hallucinations, delusions, or peculiar fantasies) or bipolar I disorder (manic or mixed episode; Young Mania Rating Scale [YMRS] total score ≥15) received open-label olanzapine (2.5-20 mg/day) and were randomized to standard (n = 102; a single weight counseling session) or intense (n = 101; weight counseling at each study visit) weight intervention. The primary outcome measure was mean change in body mass index (BMI) from baseline to 52 weeks using mixed-model repeated measures. Symptomatology was also assessed.

RESULTS

No statistically significant differences between groups were observed in mean baseline-to-52-week change in BMI (standard: +3.6 kg/m²; intense: +2.8 kg/m²; p = 0.150) or weight (standard: +12.1 kg; intense: +9.6 kg; p = 0.148). Percentage of patients at endpoint who had gained ≥15% of their baseline weight was 40% for the standard group and 31% for the intense group (p = 0.187). Safety/tolerability results were generally consistent with those of previous olanzapine studies in adolescents, with the most notable exception being the finding of a mean decrease in prolactin. On symptomatology measures, patients with schizophrenia had a mean baseline-to-52-week change in BPRS-C of -32.5 (standard deviation [SD] = 10.8), and patients with bipolar disorder had a mean change in YMRS of -16.7 (SD = 8.9), with clinically and statistically significant improvement starting at 3-4 days for each.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term weight gain was high in both groups, with no statistically significant differences between the standard or intense behavioral weight interventions in BMI or weight. Safety, tolerability, and effectiveness findings were generally consistent with the known profile of olanzapine in adolescents.

Neurofunctional Differences Among Youth With and at Varying Risk for Developing Mania

OBJECTIVE

To examine prefrontal and amygdala activation during emotional processing in youth with or at varying risk for developing mania to identify candidate central prodromal risk biomarkers.

METHOD

Four groups of medication-free adolescents (10-20 years old) participated: adolescents with first-episode bipolar I disorder (BP-I; n = 32), adolescents with a parent with bipolar disorder and a depressive disorder (at-risk depressed [ARD]; n = 32), healthy adolescents with a parent with bipolar disorder (at-risk healthy [ARH]; n = 32), and healthy adolescents with no personal or family history of psychiatric illness (healthy comparison [HC]; n = 32). Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a continuous performance task with emotional and neutral distracters. Region-of-interest analyses were performed for the bilateral amygdala and for subregions of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex.

RESULTS

Overall, no group differences in bilateral amygdala and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (Brodmann area [BA] 45/47) activation during emotional or neutral stimuli were observed. The BP-I group exhibited lower right pregenual anterior cingulate cortex activation compared with the HC group, and activation in the left BA 44 was greater in the ARH and ARD groups compared with the HC group. BP-I and ARD groups exhibited blunted activation in the right BA 10 compared with the ARH group.

CONCLUSION

During emotional processing, amygdala and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (BA 45/47) activation does not differ in youth with or at increasing risk for BP-I. However, blunted pregenual anterior cingulate cortex activation in first-episode mania could represent an illness biomarker, and greater prefrontal BA 10 and BA 44 activations in at-risk youth could represent a biomarker of risk or resilience warranting additional investigation in prospective longitudinal studies.

fMRI brain activation changes following treatment of a first bipolar manic episode

OBJECTIVES

We tested the hypothesis that, with treatment, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) regional brain activation in first-episode mania would normalize - i.e., that differences from healthy subjects would diminish over time, and would be associated with clinical remission status, potentially identifying neuroanatomic treatment response markers.

METHODS

Forty-two participants with bipolar I disorder were recruited during their first manic episode, pseudo-randomized to open-label lithium or quetiapine, and followed for 8 weeks. fMRI scans were obtained at baseline and then after 1 and 8 weeks of treatment, while participants performed a continuous performance task with emotional distracters. Healthy participants received fMRI scans at these same intervals. Specific region-of-interest (ROI) activations within prefrontal emotional networks were assessed as potential measures of treatment response.

RESULTS

ROI data were reduced using exploratory factor analysis, which identified five factors that were organizationally consistent with functional anatomic models of human emotion modulation. Half of the participants with bipolar disorder achieved remission by Week 8 and were contrasted with the other half that did not. Analyses demonstrated that, in the bipolar disorder group in general, treatment led to decreases in activation across brain regions toward healthy subject values. However, differences in activation changes were observed between subjects with bipolar disorder who did or did not achieve remission in subcortical and amygdala factors.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide evidence for potential neuroanatomic treatment response markers in first-episode bipolar disorder.

Adolescents with or at ultra-high risk for bipolar disorder exhibit erythrocyte docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid deficits: a candidate prodromal risk biomarker

AIM

Mood disorders are associated with low levels of the long-chain omega-3 (LCn-3) fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This study investigated LCn-3 fatty acid biostatus in youth with or at varying risk for developing mania to assess its utility as a prodromal risk biomarker.

METHOD

Erythrocyte fatty acid composition was determined in healthy adolescents (n = 28, HC), asymptomatic adolescents with a biological parent with bipolar I disorder (n = 30; 'high risk', HR), adolescents with a biological parent with bipolar I disorder and major depressive disorder, or depressive disorder not otherwise specified (n = 36; 'ultra-high risk', UHR), and first-episode adolescent bipolar manic patients (n = 35, BP).

RESULTS

Group differences were observed for DHA (P ≤ 0.0001) and EPA (P = 0.03). Compared with HC, erythrocyte EPA + DHA ('omega-3 index') was significantly lower in BP (-24%, P ≤ 0.0001) and UHR (-19%, P = 0.0006) groups, and there was a trend in the HR group (-11%, P = 0.06). Compared with HC (61%), a greater percentage of HR (77%, P = 0.02), UHR (80%, P = 0.005) and BP (97%, P = 0.001) subjects exhibited EPA + DHA levels of ≤4.0%. Among all subjects (n = 130), EPA + DHA was inversely correlated with manic (r = -0.29, P = 0.0008) and depressive (r = -0.28, P = 0.003) symptom severity. The AA/EPA + DHA ratio was significantly greater in BP (+22%, P = 0.0002) and UHR (+16%, P = 0.001) groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Low EPA + DHA levels coincide with the initial onset of mania, and increasing risk for developing bipolar disorder is associated with graded erythrocyte EPA + DHA deficits. Low erythrocyte EPA + DHA biostatus may represent a promising prodromal risk biomarker warranting additional evaluation in future prospective studies.

Neural Function Before and After Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Anxious Adolescents at Risk for Developing Bipolar Disorder

OBJECTIVE

We sought to evaluate the neurophysiology of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children (MBCT-C) in youth with generalized, social, and/or separation anxiety disorder who were at risk for developing bipolar disorder.

METHODS

Nine youth (mean age: 13 ± 2 years) with a generalized, social, and/or separation anxiety disorder and a parent with bipolar disorder completed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing a continuous processing task with emotional and neutral distractors (CPT-END) prior to and following 12 weeks of MBCT-C.

RESULTS

MBCT-C was associated with increases in activation of the bilateral insula, lentiform nucleus, and thalamus, as well as the left anterior cingulate while viewing emotional stimuli during the CPT-END, and decreases in anxiety were correlated with change in activation in the bilateral insula and anterior cingulate during the viewing of emotional stimuli (p < 0.05, uncorrected; p < 0.005 corrected; cluster size, 37 voxels).

CONCLUSIONS

MBCT-C treatment in anxious youth with a familial history of bipolar disorder is associated with increased activation of brain structures that subserve interoception and the processing of internal stimuli-functions that are ostensibly improved by this treatment.

Effects of fish oil supplementation on prefrontal metabolite concentrations in adolescents with major depressive disorder: a preliminary 1H MRS study

OBJECTIVE

To use proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) to investigate the effects of fish oil (FO) supplementation on cortical metabolite concentrations in adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD).

METHODS

Metabolite concentrations were determined by (1)H MRS in the anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of adolescents with MDD before and following 10-week open-label supplementation with low (2.4 g/day, n = 7) or high (16.2 g/day, n = 7) dose FO. Depressive symptom severity scores and erythrocyte fatty acid levels were also determined.

RESULTS

Baseline erythrocyte eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) composition was positively correlated, and arachidonic acid (AA) and the AA/EPA ratio were inversely correlated, with choline (Cho) concentrations in the right DLPFC. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) composition was inversely correlated with myo-inositol (mI) concentrations in the left DLPFC. Erythrocyte EPA and DHA composition increased, and AA decreased, significantly following low-dose and high-dose FO supplementation. In the intent-to-treat sample, depressive symptom severity scores decreased significantly in the high-dose group (-40%, P < 0.0001) and there was a trend in the low-dose group (-20%, P = 0.06). There were no significant baseline-endpoint changes in metabolite levels in each voxel. In the low-dose group there were changes with large effect sizes, including a decrease in mI in the left DLPFC (-12%, P = 0.18, d = 0.8) and increases in glutamate + glutamine (Glx) (+12%, P = 0.19, d = 0.8) and Cho (+15%, P = 0.08, d = 1.2) in the right DLPFC. In the high-dose group, there was a trend for increases in Cho in the right DLPFC (+10%, P = 0.09, d = 1.2).

DISCUSSION

These preliminary data suggest that increasing the LCn-3 fatty acid status of adolescent MDD patients is associated with subtle changes in Glx, mI, and Cho concentrations in the DLPFC that warrant further evaluation in a larger controlled trial.

Lipid peroxidation biomarkers in adolescents with or at high-risk for bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

Prior work suggests that adult bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with increased oxidative stress and inflammation. This exploratory study examined markers of lipid and protein oxidation and inflammation in adolescents with and at varying risk for BD type I (BD-I).

METHODS

Blood was obtained from four groups of adolescents (9-20 years of age): (1) healthy comparison subjects with no personal or family history of psychiatric disorders (n=13), (2) subjects with no psychiatric diagnosis and at least one parent with BD-I ('high-risk', n=15), (3) subjects with at least one parent with BD-I and a diagnosis of depressive disorder not-otherwise-specified ('ultra-high-risk', n=20), and (4) first-episode patients exhibiting mixed or manic symptoms that received a diagnosis of BD-I (n=16). Plasma levels of lipid peroxidation (LPH, 4-HNE, 8-ISO), protein carbonyl, and inflammation (IL-1α-β, IL-6, IL-10, IFNγ, TNFα) were assessed using analysis of variance and covariance models.

RESULTS

LPH was lower in adolescents with fully syndromal BD than controls, while LPH levels in the at-risk groups were between healthy controls and fully syndromal BD. Post-hoc analysis showed a non-significant increase in the (4-HNE+8-ISO)/LPH ratio suggesting a potential conversion of LPH into late-stage markers of lipid peroxidation. There were no significant differences among protein carbonyl content and inflammatory markers.

CONCLUSIONS

In adolescents, fully syndromal BD is associated with significant reductions in LPH levels, and LPH levels decrease along the spectrum of risk for BD-I. Quantifying lipid peroxidation in longitudinal studies may help clarify the role of LPH in BD risk progression.

Tissue-dependent cerebral energy metabolism in adolescents with bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVES

To investigate tissue-dependent cerebral energy metabolism by measuring high energy phosphate levels in unmedicated adolescents diagnosed with bipolar I disorder.

METHODS

Phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging data were acquired over the entire brain of 24 adolescents with bipolar I disorder and 19 demographically matched healthy comparison adolescents. Estimates of phosphocreatine (PCr) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP, determined from the γ-resonance) in homogeneous gray and white matter in the right and left hemispheres of the cerebrum of each subject were obtained by extrapolation of linear regression analyses of metabolite concentrations vs. voxel gray matter fractions.

RESULTS

Multivariate analyses of variance showed a significant effect of group on high energy phosphate concentrations in the right cerebrum (p=0.0002) but not in the left (p=0.17). Post-hoc testing in the right cerebrum revealed significantly reduced concentrations of PCr in gray matter and ATP in white matter in both manic (p=0.002 and 0.0001, respectively) and euthymic (p=0.004 and 0.002, respectively) bipolar I disorder subjects relative to healthy comparisons.

LIMITATIONS

The small sample sizes yield relatively low statistical power between manic and euthymic groups; cross-sectional observations limit the ability to determine if these findings are truly independent of mood state.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest bioenergetic impairment - consistent with downregulation of creatine kinase - is an early pathophysiological feature of bipolar I disorder.

First-episode bipolar disorder is associated with erythrocyte membrane docosahexaenoic acid deficits: Dissociation from clinical response to lithium or quetiapine

Deficits in long-chain omega-3 (LCn-3) fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may be associated with the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder. However, LCn-3 fatty acid status at the initial onset of mania and its association with treatment response are not known. Erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition was determined in first-episode bipolar manic or mixed (n=40) and healthy (n=40) subjects. Mood symptom ratings were obtained with the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Erythrocyte fatty acid composition and clinical ratings were also determined within a sub-group of bipolar subjects following 8-week (n=19) or 52-week (n=11) open-label treatment with lithium or quetiapine. At baseline bipolar subjects exhibited significantly lower erythrocyte docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) composition compared with healthy subjects (-23%, p<0.0001). EPA (20:5n-3) and docosapentanoic acid (22:5n-3), and LCn-6 fatty acids including arachidonic acid were not different. Following 8- or 52-week treatment with lithium or quetiapine, YMRS and HDRS total scores decreased significantly whereas erythrocyte fatty acids including DHA did not change. These data indicate that selective erythrocyte DHA deficits coincide with the initial onset of manic symptoms, and reductions in mood symptoms following treatment are not mediated by changes in fatty acid status.

Early response or nonresponse at week 2 and week 3 predict ultimate response or nonresponse in adolescents with schizophrenia treated with olanzapine: results from a 6-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial

In adults with schizophrenia, early response/non-response (ER/ENR) to antipsychotics at 2 weeks robustly predicts ultimate response/non-response (UR/UNR). However, less data about the predictive value of ER/ENR exist in adolescents with schizophrenia. Post hoc analysis of a 6-week trial in adolescents aged 13-17 with schizophrenia were randomized 2:1 to olanzapine or placebo. ER was defined as ≥20 % reduction in Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale-children (BPRS-C) total score at week 2 (ER2) or 3 (ER3); UR was defined with increasing stringency as total BPRS-C score reduction ≥20, ≥30, ≥40 or ≥50 %; remission was defined cross-sectionally using Andreasen et al. (2005) criteria. By week 2 (n = 69) and 3 (n = 66), olanzapine-treated youth achieved 73.3 and 85.5 % of their overall BPRS-C score reduction at 6 weeks last observation carried forward. ER and ENR patients did not differ significantly regarding baseline demographic, illness and treatment variables. ER 2 (frequency = 68.1 %) and ER 3 (frequency = 65.2 %) significantly predicted UR and remission (p = 0.0044-p < 0.0001), with ER3 having more predictive power. A ≥ 20 % BPRS-C reduction threshold for ER had best predictive validity (area under the curve = 0.88-0.92). At 6 weeks, patients with ER had significantly greater improvements in BPRS-C, Clinical Global Impressions Improvement and Severity scores, greater cross-sectional remission and less all-cause discontinuation (p = 0.047-p < 0.0001). Adverse event profiles were similar in the ER and ENR groups. Adolescents with schizophrenia experienced the majority of symptomatic improvement early during olanzapine treatment. ER predicted UR and remission, with ER3 having best predictive power. A ≥ 20 % improvement threshold for defining ER was confirmed as a robust outcome indicator.