Lazeyras F, Charles H C, Tupler L A, Erickson R, Boyko O B, Krishnan K R
Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Psychiatry Res. 1998 May 20;82(2):95-106. doi: 10.1016/s0925-4927(98)00010-9.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive disorder associated with disruption of neuronal function and neuronal loss. N-acetylaspartate (NAA) is a marker of neuronal content and can be assessed using proton (1H) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). We utilized 1H-MRS (two-dimensional chemical-shift imaging) to assess amplitudes and areas of NAA, as well as choline moieties (Cho), creatine (Cr) and myo-inositol (mI), in 15 AD patients compared with 14 control subjects. Voxels were classified as predominantly cortical gray matter (CGM), subcortical gray matter (SGM), or white matter (WM). Compared with control subjects, AD patients exhibited decreased NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr amplitudes, whereas an increase was observed in Cho/Cr and in amplitude ratios involving mI. Area ratios were significant in the same direction for NAA/Cho, NAA/Cr, mI/Cr and mI/NAA. No significant effects of tissue type were observed; however, significant group x tissue type interactions were noted for Cho/Cr and mI/Cr amplitudes. Our study confirms that 1H-MRS can identify distinct physicochemical alterations in AD patients, reflecting membrane changes and diminished neuronal function. These alterations can be used as longitudinal markers for the disease.
阿尔茨海默病（AD）是一种与神经元功能紊乱和神经元丧失相关的进行性疾病。N-乙酰天门冬氨酸（NAA）是神经元含量的标志物，可使用质子（1H）磁共振波谱（MRS）进行评估。我们利用1H-MRS（二维化学位移成像）评估了15例AD患者与14例对照受试者中NAA以及胆碱部分（Cho）、肌酸（Cr）和肌醇（mI）的波峰高度和面积。体素被分类为主要是皮质灰质（CGM）、皮质下灰质（SGM）或白质（WM）。与对照受试者相比，AD患者的NAA/Cho和NAA/Cr波峰高度降低，而Cho/Cr以及涉及mI的波峰高度比值升高。NAA/Cho、NAA/Cr、mI/Cr和mI/NAA的面积比值在相同方向上具有显著性。未观察到组织类型的显著影响；然而，对于Cho/Cr和mI/Cr波峰高度，观察到显著的组×组织类型交互作用。我们的研究证实，1H-MRS能够识别AD患者中不同的物理化学改变，反映膜变化和神经元功能减退。这些改变可作为该疾病的纵向标志物。
