title: Correlation of seizure frequency with N-acetyl-aspartate levels determined by 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging.
abstract: Using 1H MRSI, we measured N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), a neuronal marker, in the seizure focus of 16 patients with partial epilepsy. Decreasing NAA correlated with increasing seizure frequency in frontal lobe epilepsy (r = -0.72, p < 0.02) and a similar trend was present in temporal lobe epilepsy (r = -.60, p < 0.06). NAA was not related to the duration of epilepsy. We conclude that patients with higher seizure frequency have evidence of greater neuron loss or dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0138, USA. garfish@itsa.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Laxer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van der Grond
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hugg
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Matson
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Weiner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine