Bcl-2 rs956572 Polymorphism is Associated with Increased Anterior Cingulate Cortical Glutamate in Euthymic Bipolar I Disorder

B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) is an important regulator of cellular plasticity and resilience. In bipolar disorder (BD), studies have shown a key role for a Bcl-2 gene single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs956572 in the regulation of intracellular calcium (Ca2+) dynamics, Bcl-2 expression/levels, and vulnerability to cellular apoptosis. At the same time, Bcl-2 decreases glutamate (Glu) toxicity in neural cells. Abnormalities in Glu function have been implicated in BD. In magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies, anterior cingulated cortex (ACC) Glu levels have been reported to be increased in bipolar depression and mania, but no study specifically evaluated ACC Glu levels in BD-euthymia. Here, we compared ACC Glu levels in BD-euthymia compared with healthy subjects using 1H-MRS and also evaluated the selective role of the rs956572 Bcl-2 SNP in modulating ACC Glu and Glx (sum of Glu and glutamine) in euthymic-BD. Forty euthymic subjects with BD type I and forty healthy controls aged 18–40 were evaluated. All participants were genotyped for Bcl-2 rs956572 and underwent a 3-Tesla brain magnetic resonance imaging examination including the acquisition of an in vivo PRESS single voxel (2 cm3) 1H-MRS sequence to obtain metabolite levels from the ACC. Euthymic-BD subjects had higher Glu/Cre (creatine) and Glx/Cre compared with healthy controls. The Bcl-2 SNP AA genotype was associated with elevated ACC Glu/Cre and Glx/Cre ratio in the BD group but not in controls. The present study reports for the first time an increase in ACC Glu/Cre and Glx/Cre ratios in BD-euthymia. Also, Bcl-2 AA genotype, previously associated with lower Bcl-2 expression and increase intracellular Ca2+, showed to be associated with increased ACC Glu and Glx levels in euthymic-BD subjects. The present findings reinforce a key role for glutamatergic system dysfunction in the pathophysiology of BD, potentially involving modulatory effects by Bcl-2 in the ACC.