Project Summary

Michael Bauer, M.D., Ph.D. (Independent Investigator 2005) of Charite University Medicine, Berlin, plans to use imaging to study why thyroid hormone may be an effective adjunct treatment for individuals with bipolar disease taking traditional drugs. Preliminary evidence in brain imaging studies done by Dr. Bauer suggests thyroid hormone plays a role in certain regions of the brain associated with bipolar disease. Clinically, thyroid hormone often is given to patients with drug-refractory mood disorders and it has been known for 200 years the hormone plays a role in normal mental well-being. Recent studies have shown how the hormone influences certain parts of the brain implicated in mood disorders, such as the limbic system. The proposed multicenter, six-week controlled study would measure the efficacy and safety of thyroid hormone and mood stabilizer/antidepressant therapy in the treatment of bipolar depression and use PET imaging to demonstrate the effects of the hormone on regional cerebral activity, including serotonergic function.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Bipolar

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