Psychiatric Disorders

This project aims at investigation of the neurobiological basis of different psychiatric disorders and related treatment response. To that clinical symptoms are correlated with metabolic and functional measures obtained in vivo by MRS, functional and structural MRI in humans and animal models.

Metabolites of particular interest are neurotransmitters and their precursors such as glutamine (Gln), glutamate (Glu), and gamma amino butyric acid (GABA), as well as antioxidants such as glutathion (GSH) and ascorbic acid (Asc), whose important roles in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders like major depression, schizophrenia, panic disorders or obsessive compulsive disorder are not understood.

In humans these metabolites are currently assessed by JPRESS spectroscopy and 2D prior-knowledge fitting (ProFit) at 3T. In future ultra-high field MRS and MRSI, absolute quantification based on the ERETIC reference standard as well as ¹³C and ³¹P MRS might be applied to physiological studies in the context of psychiatric disorders.

Publications:

• Walter M, Henning A, Grimm S, Schulte RF, Beck J, Dydak U, Schnepf B, Boeker H, Boesiger P, Northoff G. The Relationship Between Aberrant Neuronal Activation in the Pregenual Anterior Cingulate, Altered Glutamatergic Metabolism, and Anhedonia in Major Depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 66(5), 478-486, 2009
• Northoff G, Walter M, Schulte RF, Beck J, Dydak U, Henning A, Boeker H, Grimm S, Boesiger P GABA concentrations in the human anterior cingulate cortex predict negative BOLD responses in fMRI. Nat Neurosci 10(12), 1515-7, 2007.
• Do K.Q., Trabesinger A., Kirsten-Krüger M., Dydak U., Hell D., Holsboer F., Lauer C.J., Boesiger P., Cuénod M. Schizophrenia: Glutathione Deficit in Cerebrospinal Fluid and Prefrontal Cortex in Vivo. Eur J Neurosci 12, 3721-3728, 2000

Software:

• ProFit

Related MRS projects:

• 2D MRS
• MRSI at ultra-high field
• ¹³C MRS

Related MRI projects:

• MRI user lab

Collaborators:

• Erich Seifritz, Heinz Boeker, Simone Grimm, Psychiatric University Clinic Zürich
• Martin Walter, Clinic of Psychiaty, Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg
• Markus Rudin, Conny Schmid, Animal Imaging Center, University & ETH Zurich 

Contact:

Milan Scheidegger, MD

Anke Henning, PhD