3-D echo planar (1)HMRS imaging in MS: metabolite comparison from supratentorial vs. central brain

Magn Reson Imaging. 2002 Oct;20(8):599-606. doi: 10.1016/s0730-725x(02)00533-7.

Abstract

To determine if metabolite ratios as measured by 3-dimensional echo planar spectroscopy imaging (3D-EPSI) from central brain regions of interest (ROI) centered at the corpus callosum reflect imaging metrics of large volumes of supratentorial brain (STB) from patients with multiple sclerosis.

Methods: 48 MS patients with relapsing-remitting, secondary progressive, and primary progressive disease underwent a 3D-EPSI sequence covering large volumes of STB. Metabolite ratios were first estimated from all voxels within a STB mask using a linear regression of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) over Creatine (Cr), NAA over choline (Cho) and Cho over Cr. Secondly, spectroscopic voxels from a central brain (CB) ROI centered at the corpus callosum were selected within the STB. Ratios were compared using Bland-Altman regression analysis and Spearman's correlation coefficients between STB versus central brain. Ratios from studied ROIs were correlated with the EDSS and compared to normal controls.

Results: Very strong correlations ranging from 0.884 and 0.938 (p < 0.0001) were found for all metabolite ratios between STB versus central brain. NAA/Cr ratios were similarly and negatively correlated with the EDSS across all ROIs, trends ranging from -0.257 to -0.314 (p < 0.1). NAA/Cr from all MS patients was similarly decreased compared to controls across all ROIs (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: Metabolite ratios from a central brain ROI were statistically equivalent and highly correlated with ratios from the STB. The study of NAA/Cr using (1)HMRS from a central brain ROI centered at the corpus callosum seems to be representative of brainwide axonal changes in patients with MS.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aspartic Acid / analogs & derivatives*
  • Aspartic Acid / metabolism
  • Brain / metabolism*
  • Cohort Studies
  • Corpus Callosum / metabolism
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Echo-Planar Imaging
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multiple Sclerosis / diagnosis
  • Multiple Sclerosis / metabolism*
  • Protons
  • Reproducibility of Results

Substances

  • Protons
  • Aspartic Acid
  • N-acetylaspartate