The Use of a Mitochondrial Enhancement Treatment in Bipolar Disorder

The primary objective of this proposed clinical trial is to test the hypothesis that treatment with two proven mitochondrial enhancers, acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) and α-lipoic acid (ALA), has significantly greater efficacy than placebo as an augmentation treatment in bipolar depressed patients who display an incomplete response to conventional treatments. We propose to test this hypothesis by performing a 15-week placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group, flexible-dose study investigating the use of ALCAR and ALA as an augmentation to treatment as usual in depressed bipolar patients. We will compare the efficacy of acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR) at doses of 1000-3000mg/day and alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) at doses of 600-1800mg/day with placebo on symptom improvement in individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder type I, current episode depressed. Improvement will be assessed using the 21-Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity and Improvement Scales (CGI-S and CGI-I). Furthermore, we hypothesize that improvement in depression symptoms following treatment with ALCAR and ALA will be associated with increases in phosphocreatine (PCr), beta-nucleoside triphosphate (β-NTP), and intracellular pH in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) both at week 1 and week 12 of treatment.