NeuroSpin, CEA, CNRS, Paris-Saclay University, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
Alzheimers Dement. 2021 Nov;17(11):1843-1854. doi: 10.1002/alz.12501. Epub 2021 Dec 2.
The pathophysiological processes underlying the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) on the neuronal level are still unclear. Previous research has hinted at metabolic energy deficits and altered sodium homeostasis with impaired neuronal function as a potential metabolic marker relevant for neurotransmission in AD. Using sodium ( Na) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging on an ultra-high-field 7 Tesla MR scanner, we found increased cerebral tissue sodium concentration (TSC) in 17 biomarker-defined AD patients compared to 22 age-matched control subjects in vivo. TSC was highly discriminative between controls and early AD stages and was predictive for cognitive state, and associated with regional tau load assessed with flortaucipir-positron emission tomography as a possible mediator of TSC-associated neurodegeneration. TSC could therefore serve as a non-invasive, stage-dependent, metabolic imaging marker. Setting a focus on cellular metabolism and potentially disturbed interneuronal communication due to energy-dependent altered cell homeostasis could hamper progressive cognitive decline by targeting these processes in future interventions.
阿尔茨海默病（AD）在神经元水平上的发展和进展的病理生理过程尚不清楚。先前的研究表明，代谢能量不足和钠稳态改变伴随着神经元功能障碍，这可能是 AD 中与神经传递相关的代谢标志物。我们使用超高场 7 特斯拉磁共振扫描仪上的钠（Na）磁共振（MR）成像，发现与 22 名年龄匹配的对照组相比，17 名生物标志物定义的 AD 患者的脑组织钠浓度（TSC）增加。TSC 在控制组和早期 AD 阶段之间具有高度的区分能力，并且与认知状态相关，并与使用 flortaucipir 正电子发射断层扫描评估的区域 tau 负荷相关，tau 负荷可能是 TSC 相关神经退行性变的中介物。因此，TSC 可以作为一种非侵入性、与阶段相关的代谢成像标志物。关注细胞代谢和由于能量依赖的细胞内稳态改变而导致的潜在神经间通讯障碍，可能通过针对这些过程来干预未来的认知能力下降。
