Absolute metabolite concentrations (and SE, in mM in aqueous fraction) in NAWM between patients with MS (and normal MRI scan of the brain) and control subjects
| Absolute Metabolite Concentration | Control Subjects, mM | RRMS, mM | SPMS, mM |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAA | |||
| Mean | 10.96 | 10.34 | 10.04 |
| SE | 0.19 | 0.19 | 0.29 |
| NAAG | |||
| Mean | 3.73 | 3.59 | 2.69* |
| SE | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.16 |
| tNA | |||
| Mean | 14.62 | 13.88 | 12.68* |
| SE | 0.26 | 0.26 | 0.28 |
| mIns | |||
| Mean | 6.18 | 6.35 | 6.45 |
| SE | 0.13 | 0.18 | 0.27 |
Note:—mIns indicates myo-inositol; NAA, N-acetylaspartate; NAAG, N-acetylaspartate glutamate; tNA, total N-acetyl compounds including NAA and NAAG; RRMS, relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis; SPMS, secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis; NAWM, normal-appearing white matter. The MS patients were separated into RRMS and SPMS.
* Significant difference between RRMS and SPMS, P < .05 (Mann-Whitney).