Imaging The Distribution And Effects Of Lithium In The Brain In Bipolar Disorder

Lithium is thought to improve white matter (WM) integrity in bipolar disorder (BD) because diffusion weighted imaging shows higher fractional anisotropy (FA) values in those taking the drug. Interpretation of this observation would be aided by tissue-level determination of brain lithium concentration. In vivo lithium magnetic resonance spectroscopy (7Li-MRS) requires long acquisition times but as 7Li yields a spectral singlet, advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques can be applied.