title: Regional metabolite concentrations in human brain as determined by quantitative localized proton MRS.
abstract: The regional distribution of brain metabolites was studied in several cortical white and gray matter areas, cerebellum, and thalamus of young adults with use of quantitative single-voxel proton MRS at 2.0 T. Whereas the neuronal compound N-acetylaspartate is distributed homogeneously throughout the brain, N-acetylaspartylglutamate increases caudally and exhibits higher concentrations in white matter than in gray matter. Creatine, myo-inositol, glutamate, and glutamine are less concentrated in cortical white matter than in gray matter. The highest creatine levels are found in cerebellum, parallel to the distribution of creatine kinase and energy-requiring processes in the brain. Also myo-inositol has highest concentrations in the cerebellum. Choline-containing compounds exhibit a marked regional variability with again highest concentrations in cerebellum and lowest levels and a strong caudally decreasing gradient in gray matter. The present findings neither support a metabolic gender difference (except for a 1.3-fold higher myo-inositol level in parietal white matter of female subjects) nor a metabolic hemispheric asymmetry.
authors.affiliation: Biomedizinische NMR Forschungs GmbH am Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Pouwels
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frahm
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D002794:Choline / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007294:Inositol / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D011522:Protons; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D013788:Thalamus / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004151:Dipeptides; D011522:Protons; C027172:isospaglumic acid; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D007294:Inositol; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D002794:Choline