Longitudinal 1H MRS changes in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

Kantarci, Kejal; Weigand, Stephen D.; Petersen, Ronald C.; Boeve, Bradley F.; Knopman, David S.; Gunter, Jeffrey; Reyes, Denise; Shiung, Maria; O’Brien, Peter C.; Smith, Glenn E.; Ivnik, Robert J.; Tangalos, Eric G.; Jack, Clifford R.

doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2006.06.018

« Previous Next »Neurobiology of Aging
Volume 28, Issue 9 , Pages 1330-1339, September 2007

Longitudinal ¹H MRS changes in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

Kejal Kantarci
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 507 284 9770; fax: +1 507 284 9778.
Stephen D. Weigand
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Ronald C. Petersen
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Bradley F. Boeve
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
David S. Knopman
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Jeffrey Gunter
- Department of Information Services, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Denise Reyes
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
Maria Shiung
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
Peter C. O’Brien
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Glenn E. Smith
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Robert J. Ivnik
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Eric G. Tangalos
- Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Clifford R. Jack Jr.
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA

Received 5 December 2005; received in revised form 13 June 2006; accepted 19 June 2006. published online 24 July 2006.

Abstract

Magnetic resonance (MR)-based volume measurements of atrophy are potential markers of disease progression in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Longitudinal changes in ¹H MR spectroscopy (¹H MRS) metabolite markers have not been characterized in MCI subjects. Our objective was to determine the longitudinal ¹H MRS metabolite changes in patients with MCI, and AD, and to compare ¹H MRS metabolite ratios and ventricular volumes in tracking clinical disease progression in AD. The neuronal integrity marker N-acetylaspartate/creatine ratio declined in MCI and AD patients compared to cognitively normal elderly. The change in ¹H MRS metabolite ratios correlated with clinical progression about as strongly as the rate of ventricular expansion, suggesting that ¹H MRS metabolite ratios may be useful markers for the progression of AD. Choline/creatine ratio declined in stable MCI, compared to converter MCI patients and cognitively normal elderly, which may be related to a compensatory mechanism in MCI patients who did not to progress to AD.

Keywords: ¹H MR spectroscopy, ¹H MRS, Imaging, Alzheimer's disease, Mild cognitive impairment, Serial, Longitudinal, N-Acetylaspartate, Choline