Study M303
Study name | McEwen AM 2012 |
Title | Increased glutamate levels in the medial prefrontal cortex in patients with postpartum depression |
Overall design | The aim of this study was to examine whether glutamate (Glu) levels in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) are decreased or increased in women with postpartum depression (PPD) compared to healthy women. Using in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at a field strength of 3T single-voxel spectra was acquired from the MPFC of women with postpartum depression (depression group, n = 12) and healthy controls (control group, n = 12) matched for postpartum scan timing. Water-referenced MPFC Glu levels were measured using a MRS technique that allowed us to be specific for Glu with very little glutamine contamination. The concentrations of other water-quantified brain metabolites such as glycerophosphorylcholine plus phosphorylcholine, N-acetylaspartate (NAA), and creatine plus phosphocreatine were measured in the same MR spectra. Metabolite quantification was reported in institutional units. |
Study Type | Type1; |
Data available | Unavailable |
Organism | Human; |
Categories of depression | Depressive disorder; Postpartum depression; Postpartum depression; |
Criteria for depression | DSM-IV-TR diagnosed MDD |
Sample size | 24 |
Tissue | Central; Brain; Medial prefrontal cortex; |
Platform | MRS; MRS: 3 T magnet (Magnex Scientific, Concord, CA) with spectrometer (Surrey Medical Imaging System, Surrey, UK); |
PMID | |
DOI | |
Citation | McEwen AM, Burgess DT, Hanstock CC, et al. Increased glutamate levels in the medial prefrontal cortex in patients with postpartum depression. Neuropsychopharmacology 2012;37(11):2428-35. |
Metabolite |
