Background/Aims: Amnesic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is thought to represent a transitional state between healthy aging and very mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It is very important to diagnose aMCI for early treatment. In order to investigate biochemical changes in aMCI, we measured metabolite concentrations using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) from patients with aMCI and compared the results with healthy controls (HCs) and patients with AD. Methods: The subjects were 52 HCs, 70 AD patients and 47 aMCI patients. 1H-MR spectra with single-voxel point-resolved spectroscopy at a short echo time (TE) were acquired from 8 volumes of interest in the brain. Results: The bilateral hippocampal N-acetylaspartate (NAA) concentrations from aMCI patients showed intermediate values, which were lower than those from HC subjects but higher than those from AD patients. The patients with aMCI also had lower concentrations of NAA than HCs in the bilateral posterior periventricular and deep white matters (PDWM) and posterior cingulate gyrus and had lower levels of choline compounds in the left posterior PDWM. Conclusion: Using a single-voxel 1H-MRS at a short TE, we revealed that absolute quantification is useful to detect the characteristic patterns of metabolite concentrations in patients with aMCI as compared with AD patients and HCs.

Keywords:
Amnesic mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, N-acetylaspartate, Choline compounds
This content is only available via PDF.
© 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel
2010
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.