title: High cerebral scyllo-inositol: a new marker of brain metabolism disturbances induced by chronic alcoholism.
abstract: Cerebral metabolic changes that concur to motor and/or cognitive disorders in actively drinking alcoholics are not well established. We tested the hypothesis that chronic alcoholics exhibit profound alterations in the cerebral metabolism of scyllo-inositol. Brain metabolism was explored in nine actively drinking and 11 recently detoxified chronic alcoholics by in vivo brain (1)H-MRS and in vitro(1)H-MRS of blood serum and cerebrospinal fluid. The cohort was composed of individuals with acute, subacute or chronic encephalopathy or without any clinical encephalopathy. Chronic alcoholism is associated with a hitherto unrecognized accumulation of brain scyllo-inositol. Our results suggest that scyllo-inositol is produced within the central nervous system and shows a diffuse but heterogenous distribution in brain where it can persist several weeks after detoxification. Its highest levels were observed in subjects with a clinically symptomatic alcohol-related encephalopathy. When detected, brain scyllo-inositol takes part in a metabolic encephalopathy since it is associated with reduced N-acetylaspartate and increased creatine. High levels of cerebral scyllo-inositol are correlated with altered glial and neuronal metabolism. Our findings suggest that the accumulation of scyllo-inositol may precede and take part in the development of symptomatic alcoholic metabolic encephalopathy.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Résonance Magnétique, Biologique et Médicale UMR CNRS 6612, Faculté de Médecine, 27 Bd J. Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France. viola@medecine.univ-mrs.fr
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Viola
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nicoli
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Denis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Confort-Gouny
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Le Fur
authors.forename: J-P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Ranjeva
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Viout
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Cozzone
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D001928:Brain Diseases, Metabolic / Q000473:pathology; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007294:Inositol / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C009217:scyllitol; D007294:Inositol