Neuronal cell injury precedes brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis.
Global brain atrophy estimated using MRI and whole brain N-acetylaspartate (WBNAA) concentration measured with proton MR spectroscopy were obtained in 42 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and 41 matched control subjects. Patients exhibited cross-sectional atrophy (0.5%; p = 0.033) and WBNAA decline (1.8%/y; p = 0.005) vs disease duration. The 3.6-fold rate disparity between the two processes suggests that neuronal/axonal dysfunction (N-acetylaspartate decline) precedes parenchyma loss, not its consequence (i.e., is an earlier, more sensitive specific metric of the ongoing disease activity).
Ge
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Y
Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
Gonen
O
O
Inglese
M
M
Babb
J S
JS
Markowitz
C E
CE
Grossman
R I
RI
D000328:Adult; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D001284:Atrophy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors
D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate