Abstract:

Objective: This study was conducted todetermine whether the alteration patterns inregional cerebral blood flow in bipolar disorder,if present, are state dependent and to specifythe trait characteristics , distinguishing patientsfrom controls in terms of cerebral blood flow.Method: The study comprises 50 subjects ofwhich 17 were bipolar manic, 16 bipolar patientsin full remission (with a total of 33 bipolar Ipatients), and 17 healthy volunteers. Thegroups were similar in terms of age and gender.DSM-IV Structured Clinical Interview forDiagnosis of Axis I Disorders was performed toverify the diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder.The control group consisted of healthy volunteers. 99m Tc-HMPAO SPECT was performedfor all of the subjects. The regional cerebralblood flows relative to the cerebellum and to thetotal brain blood flow were maesured. Results:There was no statistically significant differenceregarding the brain blood flows in any of themeasures between mania and remissiongroups. The control group was statistically different from the bipolar I group, the most prominent alterations being in the right temporal lobeand the anterior-posterior gradient.Conclusion: In order to apply these data forclinical use, further controlled studies with larger patient groups are required

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