Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China.
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
Eur Radiol. 2018 Mar;28(3):1140-1148. doi: 10.1007/s00330-017-5064-9. Epub 2017 Oct 6.
To investigate if brain gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) are abnormal compared with healthy controls, and their relationship to cognitive function in RRMS.
Twenty-eight RRMS patients and twenty-six healthy controls underwent magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at 3-T to detect GABA signals from posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and left hippocampus using the 'MEGAPoint Resolved Spectroscopy Sequence' (MEGA-PRESS) technique. All subjects also underwent a cognitive assessment.
In RRMS patients, GABA+ were lower in the PCC (p = 0.036) and left hippocampus (p = 0.039) compared with controls, decreased GABA+ in the PCC and left hippocampus were associated with specific cognitive functions (r = -0.452, p = 0.016 and r = 0.451, p = 0.016 respectively); GABA+ in the mPFC were not significantly decreased or related to any cognitive scores (p > 0.05).
This study demonstrates that abnormalities of the GABAergic system may be present in the pathogenesis of RRMS and suggests a potential link between regional GABA levels and cognitive impairment in patients with RRMS.
• GABA levels may decrease in patients with RRMS. • Lower GABA levels correlated with worse cognitive performance in patients with RRMS. • Dysfunctional GABAergic neurotransmission may have a role in cognitive impairment in RRMS.
研究复发缓解型多发性硬化症（RRMS）患者脑内γ-氨基丁酸（GABA）水平是否异常，并与 RRMS 患者的认知功能相关。
28 例 RRMS 患者和 26 名健康对照者在 3T 磁共振上采用 MEGA-PRESS 技术检测后扣带回皮质（PCC）、内侧前额叶皮质（mPFC）和左侧海马区的 GABA 信号。所有受试者均进行认知评估。
与对照组相比，RRMS 患者 PCC（p = 0.036）和左侧海马区（p = 0.039）的 GABA+水平降低，PCC 和左侧海马区的 GABA+水平与特定认知功能相关（r = -0.452，p = 0.016 和 r = 0.451，p = 0.016）；mPFC 的 GABA+水平无显著降低或与任何认知评分均无相关性（p > 0.05）。
本研究表明，GABA 能系统的异常可能存在于 RRMS 的发病机制中，并提示 RRMS 患者局部 GABA 水平与认知障碍之间存在潜在联系。
• RRMS 患者的 GABA 水平可能降低。
• 较低的 GABA 水平与 RRMS 患者认知功能下降相关。
• GABA 能神经传递功能障碍可能在 RRMS 患者的认知障碍中起作用。
