title: Cerebral volumes and spectroscopic proton metabolites on MR: is sex important?
abstract: One of the factors that may influence the selection of appropriate controls for MR studies of the brain is gender. This study compared calculated intracranial volumes and proton spectroscopic metabolite ratios obtained from male and female volunteers. Thirty-two males (mean age = 36; range = 30-53 yr) and 19 females (mean age = 39; range = 26-53 yr) underwent investigation at 1.5T. Brain, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and intracranial (ICV = brain + CSF) volumes were measured by the CLASS technique on data acquired using an axial dual spin-echo imaging sequence (TE = 20/90 ms, TR = 3500 ms). Proton spectra (TE = 135 ms, TR = 1600 ms) were acquired from an 8 ml cubic region placed in parieto-occipital white matter. The mean male and female brain, CSF and ICV were significantly different (p < .005). However, the mean CSF/ICV ratios of the two groups were not significantly different. The N-acetyl/choline and choline/creatine metabolite ratios of the two groups were significantly different (p < .05). When comparing proton metabolite ratios and absolute brain volumes between groups, gender is an important factor. CSF/ ICV ratios do not appear to depend on gender.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, Middlesex Hospital, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, England.
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Paley
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Miszkiel
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hall-Craggs
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Kendall
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Chinn
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Harrison
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000502:physiology; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011522:Protons; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D011522:Protons; D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine; D002794:Choline