Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute for Quantum Medical Science, Quantum Life and Medical Science Directorate, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan; Department of Psychiatry, Nara Medical University, Nara, Japan.
Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute for Quantum Medical Science, Quantum Life and Medical Science Directorate, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan.
Neuroimage Clin. 2024;41:103560. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103560. Epub 2023 Dec 22.
In Alzheimer's disease (AD), aggregated abnormal proteins induce neuronal dysfunction. Despite the evidence supporting the association between tau proteins and brain atrophy, further studies are needed to explore their link to neuronal dysfunction in the human brain. To clarify the relationship between neuronal dysfunction and abnormal proteins in AD-affected brains, we conducted magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) and assessed the neurofilament light chain plasma levels (NfL). We evaluated tau and amyloid-β depositions using standardized uptake value ratios (SUVRs) of florzolotau (18F) for tau and C-PiB for amyloid-β positron emission tomography in the same patients. Heatmaps were generated to visualize Z scores of glutamate to creatine (Glu/Cr) and N-acetylaspartate to creatine (NAA/Cr) ratios using data from healthy controls. In AD brains, Z score maps revealed reduced Glu/Cr and NAA/Cr ratios in the gray matter, particularly in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Glu/Cr ratios were negatively correlated with florzolotau (18F) SUVRs in the PCC, and plasma NfL levels were elevated and negatively correlated with Glu/Cr (P = 0.040, r = -0.50) and NAA/Cr ratios (P = 0.003, r = -0.68) in the rDLPFC. This suggests that the abnormal tau proteins in AD-affected brains play a role in diminishing glutamate levels. Furthermore, neuronal dysfunction markers including Glu/tCr and NAA/tCr could potentially indicate favorable clinical outcomes. Using MRSI provided spatial information about neural dysfunction in AD, enabling the identification of vulnerabilities in the rDLPFC and PCC within the AD's pathological context.
在阿尔茨海默病(AD)中,聚集的异常蛋白会导致神经元功能障碍。尽管有证据支持tau 蛋白与脑萎缩之间的关联,但仍需要进一步研究来探索它们与人类大脑中神经元功能障碍的联系。为了阐明 AD 患者大脑中神经元功能障碍与异常蛋白之间的关系,我们进行了磁共振波谱成像(MRSI)并评估了神经丝轻链血浆水平(NfL)。我们使用 tau 的氟[18F]florzolotau(18F)和淀粉样蛋白-β的 C-PiB 的标准化摄取值比值(SUVR),在同一患者中评估 tau 和淀粉样蛋白-β的沉积。我们生成热图来可视化来自健康对照的数据的谷氨酸与肌酸(Glu/Cr)和 N-乙酰天门冬氨酸与肌酸(NAA/Cr)比值的 Z 分数。在 AD 大脑中,Z 分数图显示灰质中的 Glu/Cr 和 NAA/Cr 比值降低,特别是在右侧背外侧前额叶皮层(rDLPFC)和后扣带皮层(PCC)。Glu/Cr 比值与 PCC 中的 florzolotau(18F)SUVR 呈负相关,而血浆 NfL 水平升高且与 Glu/Cr(P=0.040,r=-0.50)和 rDLPFC 中的 NAA/Cr 比值(P=0.003,r=-0.68)呈负相关。这表明 AD 患者大脑中的异常 tau 蛋白在降低谷氨酸水平方面发挥作用。此外,神经元功能障碍标志物包括 Glu/tCr 和 NAA/tCr,可能表明有利的临床结果。使用 MRSI 提供了 AD 中神经功能障碍的空间信息,能够在 AD 的病理背景下识别 rDLPFC 和 PCC 的脆弱性。