Abstract: A method for facilitating diagnosis of an affective disorder in a person can include (a) acquiring 1H spectroscopic data to obtain an indicator of total choline (tCho) and creatine (Cr) in an area, e.g., the anterior cingulate cortex, of the person's brain; and (b) determining, by a processor and based on the indicator, at least one of (i) a likely diagnosis of bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder, or (ii) a probability of bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder, in the person.

Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods of identifying bipolar disorder in a person. One such method includes acquiring 31P spectroscopic imaging data from a region of interest in a brain of the person and subsequently analyzing the 31P spectroscopic imaging data to obtain a signal intensity and a concentration for one or more phosphorus metabolites. A reduced concentration the one or more phosphorus metabolites, such as inorganic phosphate, in the brain can indicate bipolar disorder in the person. Frontal lobe inorganic phosphate concentration in medication-free adolescents can indicate bipolar depression.

Abstract: In one aspect, the invention relates to creatine analogs, compositions comprising same, and methods of using same, alone or in combination with other agents, to treat depression disorders and associated maladies. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.