Regional Metabolic Changes using Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Patients with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

  • Han, Hyoung-Suk (Department of Neurology, St. Carollo Hospital) ;
  • Joo, Jung-Hyun (Department of Radiology, St. Carollo Hospital) ;
  • Park, Soo-Shin (Department of Neurology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science) ;
  • Cheong, Jin-Sung (Department of Neurology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science) ;
  • Ha, Yoon-Su (Department of Neurology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science) ;
  • Lee, Hak-Seung (Department of Neurology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science) ;
  • Park, Hyun-Young (Department of Neurology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science) ;
  • Chang, Hyuk (Department of Neurology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science)
  • Published : 2011.12.31

Abstract

Background: Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is thought to be a prodromal stage of Alzheimer disease (AD). It is very important to diagnose aMCI for early treatment. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a non-invasive technique for measuring intracerebral metabolites for early detection of cognitive decline. We measured regional metabolic changes in aMCI and healthy control (HC) subjects to assess the disease progression by using $^{1}H$-MRS. Methods: We studied 9 subjects who met the criteria for aMCI and 10 HC subjects. We measured the ratio of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), myo-inositol (mI), and choline (Cho) to creatine (Cr) in hippocampus and posterior cingulate gyrus. Results: There was a significant elevation of the mI/Cr ratio in the hippocampus (p<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios in the left hippocampus and left posterior cingulated gyrus. Also, there was no significant difference in the mI/Cr ratio in the left posterior cingulated gyrus. Conclusions: Using $^{1}H$-MRS, we revealed that there is a difference in metabolic state between patients with aMCI and health controls.

Keywords

References

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