Reduced N-acetylaspartate content in the frontal part of the brain in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease

doi:10.1016/0730-725X(94)00113-H

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Volume 13, Issue 3, 1995, Pages 457-462

https://doi.org/10.1016/0730-725X(94)00113-H Get rights and content

Abstract

The fully relaxed water signal was used as an internal standard in a STEAM experiment to calculate the concentrations of the metabolites: N-acetylasparfate (NAA), creatine + phosphocreatine [Cr + PCr], and choline-containing metabolites (Cho) in the frontal part of the brain in 12 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease. Eight age-matched healthy volunteers served as controls. Furthermore, T₁ and T₂ relaxation times of the metabolites and signal ratios: $NAA Cho$ , $NAA [Cr+PCr]$ , and $[Cr+PCr] Cho$ at four different echo times (TE) and two different repetition times (TR) were calculated. The experiments were carried out using a Siemens Helicon SP $6384$ wholebody MR-scanner at 1.5T. The concentration of NAA was significantly lower in the patients with probable Alzheimer's disease than in the healthy volunteers. No significant difference was found for any other metabolite concentration. For the signal ratios the only statistically significant difference was that the $NAA Cho$ ratio at TE = 92 ms and TR = 1.6 s was lower in the patients with probable Alzheimer's disease compared with the control group. A trend towards a longer T₂ relaxation time for NAA in the patients with probable Alzheimer's disease than among the healthy volunteers was found, but no significant difference was found concerning the T₁ and T₂ relaxation times.

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Citation Excerpt :
Thus, the presence and pattern of cortical metabolic abnormalities are of potential clinical value in identifying the underlying neuropathology of AD and discriminating this disease from other dementias (Kantarci et al., 2008). Reduction in NAA is the most frequent 1H MRS finding in AD (Adalsteinsson et al., 2000; Chantal et al., 2002; Christiansen et al., 1995; Ernst et al., 1997; Heun et al., 1997; Parnetti et al., 1997; Rose et al., 1999; Schuff et al., 1997; Watanabe et al., 2002). Single voxel 1H MRS studies of AD have consistently found reductions in NAA/Cr in the hippocampus/medial temporal lobe (Chantal et al., 2002, 2004; Dixon et al., 2002; Jessen et al., 2000; Schuff et al., 1997; Watanabe et al., 2002) and other temporal lobe regions (Frederick et al., 1997; Herminghaus et al., 2003; Kantarci et al., 2000; Parnetti et al., 1997), and the midline parietal lobe/posterior cingulate (Antuono et al., 2001; Griffith et al., 2007a; Hattori et al., 2002; Herminghaus et al., 2003; Kantarci et al., 2000, 2002b, 2003; Martinez‐Bisbal et al., 2004; Rose et al., 1999), although two studies have failed to find abnormal NAA measures in this latter region (Waldman and Rai, 2003; Watanabe et al., 2002).
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The Alzheimer's disease group had 10.7% lower NAA/creatine (Cr) ratios relative to the healthy comparison group and 9.4% lower NAA/creatine relative to the non-Alzheimer's dementia group (15.0% lower NAA/creatine relative to the depression subgroup of the non-Alzheimer's dementia group). There were no significant differences in choline (Cho) or myo-inositol ratios among the groups. There were significant correlations between NAA/creatine ratios and mini-mental status exam (MMSE) scores in subjects with Alzheimer's disease (t=2.41, p=0.032) but not in subjects with non-Alzheimer's dementia or in its depression subgroup.
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Original contributionReduced N-acetylaspartate content in the frontal part of the brain in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev.

Magn. Reson. Imaging

J. Psychiatr. Res.

Magn. Reson. Imaging.

Proton MR spectroscopy of the brain with dementia

Localized in vivo proton NMR study of Alzheimer's disease: Initial findings

Regional correlation of N-acetyl-l-aspartic acid concentration with severity of dementia in Alzheimer's disease

Cerebral metabolic alterations in normal aging and alzheimer's dementia detected by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

In vivo abnormalities of cerebral Myo-Inositol and N-acetyl (NA) residues in Alzheimer disease (AD)

Some investigations of senile dementia of Alzheimer type (SDAT) by 1H-CSI

Effects of normal aging and Alzheimer's disease on cerebral 1H metabolites

Single volume proton spectroscopy in Alzheimer's disease patients: A multicenter pilot study

Original contribution
Reduced N-acetylaspartate content in the frontal part of the brain in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease

Some investigations of senile dementia of Alzheimer type (SDAT) by ¹H-CSI

Effects of normal aging and Alzheimer's disease on cerebral ¹H metabolites