title: N-acetylaspartate decrease in acute stage of ischemic stroke: a perspective from experimental and clinical studies.
abstract: N-acetylaspartate (NAA) appears in a prominent peak in proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) of the brain. Exhibition by NAA of time-dependent attenuation that reflects energy metabolism during the acute stage of cerebral ischemia makes this metabolite a unique biomarker for assessing ischemic stroke. Although magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a powerful technique for inspecting the pathological changes that occur during ischemic stroke, biomarkers that directly reflect the drastic metabolic changes associated with acute-stage ischemia are strongly warranted for appropriate therapeutic decision-making in daily clinical settings. In this review, we provide a brief overview of NAA metabolism and focus on the use of attenuation in NAA as a means for assessing the pathophysiological changes that occur during the acute stage of ischemic stroke.
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrated Human Brain Science, Brain Research Institute, University of Niigata.
authors.forename: Hironaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Igarashi
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Vincent J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ida
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakada
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D020521:Stroke / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate