For patients who do not respond to lithium, or who cannot tolerate it, there are few available alternatives, and there is clearly an important need for new effective treatments. Further, while lithium has been used for decades to treat manic-depression, doctors have never been able to learn exactly how it works. Initial studies using MRS to gauge concentrations and pharmacokinetics of lithium and other medications used to treat mental illness show the technology to be very effective in tracing the path of these medications within the brain. That ability will allow us to work with drug manufacturers to develop effective treatments. The researchers need to recruit both healthy control subjects, ages 18 to 65, and patients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
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