NCT01552837

Effects of Quetiapine on Ultrastructural Hippocampal and Neurochemical Changes in Patients With Bipolar Disorder: Searching for Antidepressant and Mood Stabilising Neurophysiology

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 33 (actual)
• Sponsor: RWTH Aachen University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 55 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The aim of the study was to determine the pharmacological induced equivalents of neurogenesis and synaptic sprouting in the hippocampus, localized volume changes, changes in water content and neurochemical changes in the medial temporal regions.

Detailed description

Quetiapine is an antipsychotic that has mood stabilizing and antidepressant effects (Vieta, 2005). Animal studies showed that the expression of neurotrophins and the subsequent modulation of the neuroplastic processes, including neurogenesis in the hippocampus, play a key role in the mechanism of mood stabilizing (Kim et al., 2004) and antidepressant (Santarelli et al., 2003). Since atypical antipsychotics also have antidepressant and mood stabilizing effect, it is hypothesized that the common mechanism of action in all three pharmacological classes is neurogenesis and synaptic sprouting in the hippocampal region. Thus, the aim of this study was to test this hypothesis. Quetiapine was associated with antidepressant and mood stabilizing effects in patients with bipolar disorder (Vieta, 2005). The evidence based on animal studies shows that administration of quetiapine attenuates the decrease in levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampi. This may explain the improved cognitive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and depression (Luo et al., 2005, Park et al, 2006). The aim of the study was to determine the pharmacological induced equivalents of neurogenesis and synaptic sprouting in the hippocampus, localized volume changes, changes in water content and neurochemical changes in the medial temporal regions.

Conditions

• Bipolar Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Seroquel	for 4 weeks, 300 - 800 mg per day in 2 doses

Timeline

• Start date: 2007-12-01
• Primary completion: 2010-02-01
• Completion: 2010-12-01
• First posted: 2012-03-13
• Last updated: 2012-03-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Germany