title: Quantitative proton MRS of cerebral metabolites in laminin alpha2 chain deficiency.
abstract: Congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) due to merosin (laminin alpha2 chain) deficiency is an autosomal recessively inherited disorder characterized by severe muscular weakness and hypotonia from birth on. Brain involvement is the rule and characterized by variable T2 hyperintensities of white matter which appears swollen on cranial MRI. The pathophysiology of these white matter changes is not clear. In five patients with laminin alpha2 deficient CMD we performed short-echo time localized proton MRS with determination of absolute metabolite concentrations in grey and white matter. In affected white matter, a consistent pattern of metabolites was detected comprising reduced concentrations of N-acetylaspartate and N-acetylaspartylglutamate, creatine, and phosphocreatine, and to a milder degree of choline-containing compounds. In contrast, concentrations of myo-inositol were in the normal range. Spectra of cortical and subcortical grey matter were normal. The observed metabolite profile is consistent with white matter edema, that is reduced cellular density, and relative astrocytosis. This interpretation is in line with the hypothesis that laminin alpha2 deficiency results in leakage of fluids across the blood-brain barrier and a histopathological report of astrocytic proliferation in CMD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Paediatric Neurology, Georg August University, 37075 Göttingen, Germany. kbrock@med.uni-goettingen.de
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brockmann
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dechent
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bönnemann
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frahm
authors.forename: Folker
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hanefeld
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007797:Laminin / Q000172:deficiency*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010725:Phosphocreatine / Q000378:metabolism; D011522:Protons
chemical_list: D004151:Dipeptides; D007797:Laminin; D011522:Protons; C102645:laminin alpha 2; D010725:Phosphocreatine; C027172:isospaglumic acid; D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine