title: Prefrontal glutamate levels differentiate early phase schizophrenia and methamphetamine addiction: a (1)H MRS study at 3Tesla.
abstract: Acute symptoms of methamphetamine-induced psychosis are similar to those of primary schizophrenia. Understanding similarities or differences in the biological substrate of these psychoses could lead to early differentiation of these two clinical conditions resulting in more efficient treatment strategies. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy was acquired from the medial prefrontal cortex in 29 unmedicated patients with first episode of psychosis (FEP), 29 abstinent methamphetamine-addicted people (METH) and 45 healthy controls (HCs) (age range 17.3 to 29.9years old). The METH group displayed robust reductions in concentration levels of glutamate (Glu) relative to FEP (Cohen's d=1.20) and HC (d=0.87). The METH group also displayed reduced levels of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) relative to FEP (d=0.53) and HC (d=0.76). The HC group displayed a positive association between levels of Glu and NAA, r(45)=0.52, p<0.001, while the two clinical groups failed to show this normal association. This suggests that the cellular metabolism is altered in both conditions. These data support the assumption that cellular abnormalities differ between primary schizophrenia and methamphetamine addiction despite the overlap in clinical presentation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Candice E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Crocker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Denise C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Bernier
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Christopher C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hanstock
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lakusta
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Scot E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Purdon
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Seres
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: phil.tibbo@cdha.nshealth.ca.
authors.forename: Philip G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Tibbo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019969:Amphetamine-Related Disorders / Q000378:metabolism*; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D066244:Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000378:metabolism*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001224:Aspartic Acid; D018698:Glutamic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate
keywords: Abstinence; Addiction; Glutamate; N-acetylaspartate; Psychosis; Transverse relaxation time constants