title: Normal lactate concentration range in the neonatal brain.
abstract: Lactate peaks are occasionally observed during in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) scans of the neonatal brain, even in healthy patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the normal range of neonatal brain lactate concentration, as a definitive normal range would be clinically valuable.
  
  
  
  Using a clinical 3T scanner (echo/repetition times, 30/5000ms), single-voxel MRS data were obtained from the basal ganglia (BG) and centrum semiovale (CS) in 48 healthy neonates (postconceptional age (PCA), 30-43weeks), nine infants (age, 1-12months old), and 20 children (age, 4-15years). Lactate concentrations were calculated using an MRS signal quantification program, LCModel. Correlations between regional lactate concentration and PCA (neonates), or age (all subjects) were investigated.
  
  
  
  Absolute lactate concentrations of the BG and CS were as follows: neonates, 0.77mM (0-2.02) [median (range)] and 0.77 (0-1.42), respectively; infants, 0.38 (0-0.79) and 0.49 (0.17-1.17); and children, 0.17 (0-0.76) and 0.22 (0-0.80). Overall, subjects' lactate concentrations decreased significantly with age (Spearman: BG, n=61, ρ=-0.38, p=0.003; CS, n=68, ρ=-0.57, p<0.001). However, during the neonatal period no correlations were detected between lactate concentration in either region and PCA.
  
  
  
  We determined normal ranges of neonatal lactate concentration, which may prove useful for diagnostic purposes. Further studies regarding changes in brain lactate concentration during development would help clarify the reasons for higher concentrations observed during the neonatal period, and contribute to improvements in diagnoses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Imaging & Theranostics, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan; Department of Radiology, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center, 2-138-4 Mutsukawa, Minami-ku, Yokohama 232-8555, Japan; Research Center for Child Mental Development, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. Electronic address: tomiyasu.moyoko@qst.go.jp.
authors.forename: Moyoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomiyasu
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Imaging & Theranostics, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan; Department of Radiology, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center, 2-138-4 Mutsukawa, Minami-ku, Yokohama 232-8555, Japan. Electronic address: naida@kcmc.jp.
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aida
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center, 2-138-4 Mutsukawa, Minami-ku, Yokohama 232-8555, Japan. Electronic address: jshibasaki@kcmc.jp.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shibasaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Imaging & Theranostics, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan; Department of Radiology, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center, 2-138-4 Mutsukawa, Minami-ku, Yokohama 232-8555, Japan. Electronic address: tachibana.yasuhiko@qst.go.jp.
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tachibana
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center, 2-138-4 Mutsukawa, Minami-ku, Yokohama 232-8555, Japan. Electronic address: mendo@chiba-u.jp.
authors.forename: Mamiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Imaging & Theranostics, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan; Department of Radiology, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center, 2-138-4 Mutsukawa, Minami-ku, Yokohama 232-8555, Japan. Electronic address: knozawa@kcmc.jp.
authors.forename: Kumiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nozawa
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. Electronic address: eiji@faculty.chiba-u.jp.
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.affiliation: Research Center Hospital for Charged Particle Therapy, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan. Electronic address: tsuji.hiroshi@qst.go.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Imaging & Theranostics, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan; Department of Radiology, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center, 2-138-4 Mutsukawa, Minami-ku, Yokohama 232-8555, Japan. Electronic address: obata.takayuki@qst.go.jp.
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Obata
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D019344:Lactic Acid
keywords: Brain lactate concentration; Diagnostic index; MR spectroscopy; Neonates