Normal metabolite levels in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of unmedicated major depressive disorder patients: a single voxel (1)H spectroscopy study.
Few proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H spectroscopy) studies have investigated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a key region in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). We used (1)H spectroscopy to verify whether MDD patients differ from healthy controls (HC) in metabolite levels in this brain area. Thirty-seven unmedicated DSM-IV MDD patients were compared with 40 HC. Subjects underwent a short echo-time (1)H spectroscopy examination at 1.5 T, with an 8-cm(3) single voxel placed in the left DLPFC. Reliable absolute metabolite levels of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), phosphocreatine plus creatine (PCr+Cr), choline-containing compounds (GPC+PC), myo-inositol, glutamate plus glutamine (Glu+Gln), and glutamate were obtained using the unsuppressed water signal as an internal reference. Metabolite levels in the left DLPFC did not statistically differ between MDD patients and HC. We found an interaction between gender and diagnosis on PCr+Cr levels. Male MDD patients presented lower levels of PCr+Cr than male HC, and female MDD patients presented higher levels of PCr+Cr than female HC. Moreover, length of illness was inversely correlated with NAA levels. These findings suggest that there is not an effect of diagnosis on the left DLPFC neurochemistry. Possible effects of gender on PCr+Cr levels of MDD patients need to be further investigated.
Nery
Fabiano G
FG
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Stanley
Jeffrey A
JA
Chen
Hua-Hsuan
HH
Hatch
John P
JP
Nicoletti
Mark A
MA
Monkul
Emel Serap
ES
Matsuo
Koji
K
Caetano
Sheila C
SC
Peluso
Marco A
MA
Najt
Pablo
P
Soares
Jair C
JC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003401:Creatine; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D005973:Glutamine; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010725:Phosphocreatine; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D011522:Protons; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D055815:Young Adult
D011522:Protons; D010725:Phosphocreatine; D005973:Glutamine; D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine