In Vivo NMR spectroscopy of lithium‐7 in humans

Abstract

The pharmacokinetics of lithium uptake was measured by 7Li NMR spectroscopy at 24.83 MHz in vivo in the brain and muscle of a normal subject and a patient suffering from bipolar affective disorder, using a modified General Electric Signa clinical magnetic resonance imaging system. Comparison was made to standard phantoms to estimate Li concentrations. The levels of Li in brain and muscle were similar, were typically less than the level in serum, and generally tracked the level in serum. The Li level at steady state in the brain of a patient suffering from schizoaffective disorder was measured over a 7-month period. Substantial variation was seen, which showed some correlation with serum level. Serum level peaked about 2 h after a single 300-mg dose at steady state, and muscle level, immediately thereafter. Brain level peaked considerably later at 4 h. Localized in vivo 7Li NMR spectroscopy was demonstrated by acquisition of a 125-cm3 DRESS slice from the occipital region in less than 7 min.

A 7Li NMR study of visibility, spin relaxation, and transport in normal human erythrocytes

“…Sodium-23 NMR visibility in RBCs has been the subject of some controversy (12,35,36) At therapeutic dosages of Li in humans, serum and tissue Li levels are in the 1 m M range (8). It is reasonable to expect the motional and spin relaxation properties of ions in biological systems with a fixed number of binding sites to be concentration dependent.…”

Radial scanning technique for volume selective 31P spectroscopy

“…(24. 25). It is noted that the 0-ATP resonance with the same T2 of 20 ms as PDE ( 2 4 ) has a large amplitude.…”

Neurochemical predictors of response to pharmacologic treatments for bipolar disorder

“…The feasibility of in vivo lithium MRS first was described by Renshaw et al [50] and then in humans by Komoroski et al [51]. Gyulai et al [52] found a positive correlation between occipital brain, serum, and muscle lithium levels of patients with bipolar disorder.…”