Chronic citalopram effects on the brain neurochemical profile and perfusion in a rat model of depression detected by the NMR techniques - spectroscopy and perfusion.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a mental illness with a high worldwide prevalence and suboptimal pharmacological treatment, which necessitates the development of novel, more efficacious MDD medication. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) can non-invasively provide insight into the neurochemical state of the brain using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H MRS), and an assessment of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) by perfusion imaging. These methods may provide valuable in vivo markers of the pathological processes underlying MDD.