Relative increase in choline in the occipital cortex in chronic fatigue syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is associated with altered cerebral metabolites in the frontal and occipital cortices.


METHODS
Cerebral proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) was carried out in eight CFS patients and eight age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. Spectra were obtained from 20 x 20 x 20 mm3 voxels in the dominant motor and occipital cortices using a point-resolved spectroscopy pulse sequence.


RESULTS
The mean ratio of choline (Cho) to creatine (Cr) in the occipital cortex in CFS (0.97) was significantly higher than in the controls (0.76; P=0.008). No other metabolite ratios were significantly different between the two groups in either the frontal or occipital cortex. In addition, there was a loss of the normal spatial variation of Cho in CFS.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that there may be an abnormality of phospholipid metabolism in the brain in CFS.
MRI Unit, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK. basant.puri@csc.mrc.ac.uk
B K
BK
Puri
S J
SJ
Counsell
R
R
Zaman
J
J
Main
A G
AG
Collins
J V
JV
Hajnal
N J
NJ
Davey
D000328:Adult; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism*; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000378:metabolism*
D003401:Creatine; D002794:Choline