A preliminary study of bipolar disorder type I by mass spectrometry-based serum lipidomics.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Case-control observational study
PubMed 28918859 · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2017.08.039
What was done
This cross-sectional case-control study compared the serum lipid profiles of 14 treated, euthymic patients with bipolar disorder type I against 21 healthy controls (total n = 35). Clinical status, comorbidities, and symptom severity were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17). Serum lipid extracts were analyzed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) and evaluated via multivariate statistical analysis.
What was found
Multivariate analysis revealed 121 lipid species that differed significantly between bipolar disorder patients and healthy controls. Differences were primarily distributed across glycerophospholipids, glycerolipids, and sphingolipids, with phosphatidylinositols identified as the most altered lipid class in bipolar disorder patient sera. The abstract does not report specific quantitative concentrations, effect sizes, or p-values.
Why it matters
These preliminary findings point to peripheral lipid dysregulation, particularly in phosphatidylinositol pathways, in euthymic bipolar disorder type I, suggesting potential metabolic targets for future biomarker research.
Limits
The sample size was very small (14 cases and 21 controls), limiting statistical power and generalizability. All bipolar disorder patients were actively treated with medication, presenting a major confounding factor for lipid profiles. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality, and no validation cohort was reported.
Cited by
- supports Metabolomic differences observed in bipolar patients involve altered insulin signaling networks, specifically the phosphatidylinositol cycle, Akt, and mTOR.