title: Maturational decrease of glutamate in the human cerebral cortex from childhood to young adulthood: a1H-MR spectroscopy study.
abstract: BackgroundThe aim of the present study was to investigate maturational changes in glutamate (Glu) in the human cerebral cortex from childhood to young adulthood using 3.0-Tesla proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS), which is capable of quantifying Glu in vivo.MethodsNormal volunteers comprising 11 children (aged 4-13 years) and 11 young adults (aged 18-33 years) participated in the study. Single-voxel point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS, repetition time/echo time=2,000/80 ms) was performed on the frontal and occipital cortices, and the Glu-to-creatine ratio (Glu/Cr) and N-acetylaspartate-to-creatine ratio (NAA/Cr) were determined.ResultsIn both the frontal and occipital cortices, Glu/Cr was significantly lower during young adulthood relative to that during childhood. NAA/Cr did not differ significantly between the two age groups.ConclusionThis study has provided objective evidence that cerebral cortical Glu/Cr decreases between childhood and young adulthood. The observed decrease in Glu/Cr may reflect the simultaneous occurrence of maturational changes, such as changes in cortical microstructure and the intercellular compartmentation of Glu metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrated Human Brain Science, Brain Research Institute, University of Niigata, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: Mami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrated Human Brain Science, Brain Research Institute, University of Niigata, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrated Human Brain Science, Brain Research Institute, University of Niigata, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrated Human Brain Science, Brain Research Institute, University of Niigata, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ueki
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrated Human Brain Science, Brain Research Institute, University of Niigata, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrated Human Brain Science, Brain Research Institute, University of Niigata, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: Hironaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Igarashi
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrated Human Brain Science, Brain Research Institute, University of Niigata, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakada
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D066244:Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D018698:Glutamic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine