Cortical and subcortical chemical pathology in Alzheimer's disease as assessed by multislice proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging

G. Tedeschi*, A. Bertolino, N. Lundbom, S. Bonavita, N. J. Patronas, J. H. Duyn, L. Verhagen Metman, T. N. Chase, G. Di Chiro

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

55 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Multislice proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (1H-MRSI) permits the simultaneous acquisition of N-acetylaspartate (NA) choline (Cho), creatine/phosphocreatine (Cre), and lactate (Lac) signal intensities from four 15-mm slices divided into 0.84-ml single-volume elements. NA is inferred to be a neuron-specific molecule, whereas Cho mainly reflects glycerophosphocholine and phosphocholine, compounds involved in phospholipid metabolism. Objective: To assess whether 1H-MRSI could detect a regional pattern of cortical and subcortical involvement in the brain of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Methods: 1H-MRSI was performed in 15 patients with probable AD and 15 age-matched healthy controls. Regions of interest (ROIs) were selected from frontal (FC) temporal (TC), parietal (PC), occipital, and insular cortices, subcortical white matter (WM) and thalamus. Results: In AD patients, we found a significant reduction of NA/Cre in the FC, TC, and PC and a significant reduction of Cho/Cre in the WM. Conclusions: This 1H-MRSI study of AD patients shows a regional pattern of neuronal damage in the associative cortices, as revealed by significant reduction of NA/Cre in the FC, TC, and PC, and regional derangement of phospholipid metabolism, as revealed by significant reduction of Cho/Cre in the WM.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)696-704
Number of pages9
JournalNeurology
Volume47
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1996

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Neurology

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