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Bai Y, Li K, Li X, Chen X, Zheng J, Wu F, Chen J, Li Z, Zhang S, Wu K, Chen Y, Wang Y, Yang Y. Effects of oxidative stress on hepatic encephalopathy pathogenesis in mice. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4456. [PMID: 37488119 PMCID: PMC10366183 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40081-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), but the mechanism remains unclear. GABAergic neurons in substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) contribute to the motor deficit of HE. The present study aims to investigate the effects of oxidative stress on HE in male mice. The results validate the existence of oxidative stress in both liver and SNr across two murine models of HE induced by thioacetamide (TAA) and bile duct ligation (BDL). Systemic mitochondria-targeted antioxidative drug mitoquinone (Mito-Q) rescues mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative injury in SNr, so as to restore the locomotor impairment in TAA and BDL mice. Furthermore, the GAD2-expressing SNr population (SNrGAD2) is activated by HE. Both overexpression of mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) targeted to SNrGAD2 and SNrGAD2-targeted chemogenetic inhibition targeted to SNrGAD2 rescue mitochondrial dysfunction in TAA-induced HE. These results define the key role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of HE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunhu Bai
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xi-Jing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
- Department of General Surgery, 988 Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force, Zheng Zhou, 450000, China
| | - Kenan Li
- Specific Lab for Mitochondrial Plasticity Underlying Nervous System Diseases, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Preclinical Medicine Education, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Xiaodong Li
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xi-Jing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Xiyu Chen
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xi-Jing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Jie Zheng
- Specific Lab for Mitochondrial Plasticity Underlying Nervous System Diseases, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Preclinical Medicine Education, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Feifei Wu
- Specific Lab for Mitochondrial Plasticity Underlying Nervous System Diseases, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Preclinical Medicine Education, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Jinghao Chen
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xi-Jing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Ze Li
- Specific Lab for Mitochondrial Plasticity Underlying Nervous System Diseases, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Preclinical Medicine Education, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Shuai Zhang
- Specific Lab for Mitochondrial Plasticity Underlying Nervous System Diseases, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Preclinical Medicine Education, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Kun Wu
- Department of pharmacy, 518 Hospital, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Yong Chen
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xi-Jing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
| | - Yayun Wang
- Specific Lab for Mitochondrial Plasticity Underlying Nervous System Diseases, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Preclinical Medicine Education, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
| | - Yanling Yang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xi-Jing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
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Peek AL, Rebbeck TJ, Leaver AM, Foster SL, Refshauge KM, Puts NA, Oeltzschner G. A comprehensive guide to MEGA-PRESS for GABA measurement. Anal Biochem 2023; 669:115113. [PMID: 36958511 PMCID: PMC10805000 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2023.115113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this guideline is to provide a series of evidence-based recommendations that allow those new to using MEGA-PRESS to produce high-quality data for the measurement of GABA levels using edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy with the MEGA-PRESS sequence at 3T. GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system and has been increasingly studied due to its relevance in many clinical disorders of the central nervous system. MEGA-PRESS is the most widely used method for quantification of GABA at 3T, but is technically challenging and operates at a low signal-to-noise ratio. Therefore, the acquisition of high-quality MRS data relies on avoiding numerous pitfalls and observing important caveats. The guideline was developed by a working party that consisted of experts in MRS and experts in guideline development and implementation, together with key stakeholders. Strictly following a translational framework, we first identified evidence using a systematically conducted scoping literature review, then synthesized and graded the quality of evidence that formed recommendations. These recommendations were then sent to a panel of 21 world leaders in MRS for feedback and approval using a modified-Delphi process across two rounds. The final guideline consists of 23 recommendations across six domains essential for GABA MRS acquisition (Parameters, Practicalities, Data acquisition, Confounders, Quality/reporting, Post-processing). Overall, 78% of recommendations were formed from high-quality evidence, and 91% received agreement from over 80% of the expert panel. These 23 expert-reviewed recommendations and accompanying extended documentation form a readily useable guideline to allow those new to using MEGA-PRESS to design appropriate MEGA-PRESS study protocols and generate high-quality data.
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Affiliation(s)
- A L Peek
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, 2141, Australia; NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Road Traffic Injury Recovery, Queensland, Australia.
| | - T J Rebbeck
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, 2141, Australia; NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Road Traffic Injury Recovery, Queensland, Australia.
| | - A M Leaver
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, 2141, Australia.
| | - S L Foster
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, 2141, Australia; Department of Radiology, Westmead Hospital, Hawkesbury Road, Westmead, New South Wales, 2145, Australia.
| | - K M Refshauge
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, 2141, Australia.
| | - N A Puts
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, Kings College London, UK.
| | - G Oeltzschner
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, United States; F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, 21205, United States.
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Zöllner HJ, Thiel TA, Füllenbach ND, Jördens MS, Ahn S, Wilms LM, Ljimani A, Häussinger D, Butz M, Wittsack HJ, Schnitzler A, Oeltzschner G. J-difference GABA-edited MRS reveals altered cerebello-thalamo-cortical metabolism in patients with hepatic encephalopathy. Metab Brain Dis 2023; 38:1221-1238. [PMID: 36729261 PMCID: PMC10897767 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-023-01174-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common neurological manifestation of liver cirrhosis and is characterized by an increase of ammonia in the brain accompanied by a disrupted neurotransmitter balance, including the GABAergic and glutamatergic systems. The aim of this study is to investigate metabolic abnormalities in the cerebello-thalamo-cortical system of HE patients using GABA-edited MRS and links between metabolite levels, disease severity, critical flicker frequency (CFF), motor performance scores, and blood ammonia levels. GABA-edited MRS was performed in 35 participants (16 controls, 19 HE patients) on a clinical 3 T MRI system. MRS voxels were placed in the right cerebellum, left thalamus, and left motor cortex. Levels of GABA+ and of other metabolites of interest (glutamine, glutamate, myo-inositol, glutathione, total choline, total NAA, and total creatine) were assessed. Group differences in metabolite levels and associations with clinical metrics were tested. GABA+ levels were significantly increased in the cerebellum of patients with HE. GABA+ levels in the motor cortex were significantly decreased in HE patients, and correlated with the CFF (r = 0.73; p < .05) and motor performance scores (r = -0.65; p < .05). Well-established HE-typical metabolite patterns (increased glutamine, decreased myo-inositol and total choline) were confirmed in all three regions and were closely linked to clinical metrics. In summary, our findings provide further evidence for alterations in the GABAergic system in the cerebellum and motor cortex in HE. These changes were accompanied by characteristic patterns of osmolytes and oxidative stress markers in the cerebello-thalamo-cortical system. These metabolic disturbances are a likely contributor to HE motor symptoms in HE. In patients with hepatic encephalopathy, GABA+ levels in the cerebello-thalamo-cortical loop are significantly increased in the cerebellum and significantly decreased in the motor cortex. GABA+ levels in the motor cortex strongly correlate with critical flicker frequency (CFF) and motor performance score (pegboard test tPEG), but not blood ammonia levels (NH3).
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Affiliation(s)
- Helge Jörn Zöllner
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Thomas A Thiel
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Nur-Deniz Füllenbach
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus S Jördens
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | | | - Lena M Wilms
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Alexandra Ljimani
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dieter Häussinger
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus Butz
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Hans-Jörg Wittsack
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Alfons Schnitzler
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Georg Oeltzschner
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Lu J, Li Y, Zhang C, Yang X, Qiang J. Metabolic changes of the reduction of manganese intake in the hepatic encephalopathy rat: NMR- and MS-based metabolomics study. Biometals 2022; 35:935-953. [PMID: 35857253 DOI: 10.1007/s10534-022-00415-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
To investigate the metabolic changes in type C hepatic encephalopathy (CHE) rats after reducing manganese (Mn) intake. A total of 80 Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control group and CHE groups (induced by intraperitoneal injection of thioacetamide at a dose of 250 mg/kg of body weight twice a week for 6 weeks). CHE rats were subdivided into 1Mn group (fed a standard diet, with 10 mg Mn/kg feed), 0.5Mn group (half-Mn diet), 0.25Mn group (quarter-Mn diet) and 0Mn group (no-Mn diet) for 4 to 8 weeks. Morris water maze (MWM), Y maze and narrow beam test (NBT) were used to evaluate cognitive and motor functions. Blood ammonia, brain Mn content, the number of GS-positive cells, and glutamine synthetase (GS) activity were measured. The metabolic changes of CHE rats were investigated using hydrogen-nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to analyze the results. Significantly decreased numbers of entries in target area of MWM and Y maze, longer NBT latency and total time, higher blood ammonia, brain Mn content and GS activity were found in CHE rats. After reducing Mn intake, CHE rats had better behavioral performance, significantly lower blood ammonia, brain Mn content and GS activity. The main up-regulated metabolites were Ala, GABA, Glu, Gln, Lac, Tyr, Phe in 1Mn rats. After reducing Mn intake, metabolites returned to normal level at different degrees. Reducing Mn intake could reduce brain Mn content and blood ammonia, regulate GS activity and amino acid metabolism, ultimately improve behavioral performance in CHE rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Lu
- Department of Radiology, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, 1508 Longhang Road, Shanghai, 201508, China
| | - Ying Li
- Department of Radiology, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, 1508 Longhang Road, Shanghai, 201508, China
| | - Cui Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, 1508 Longhang Road, Shanghai, 201508, China
| | - Xiuying Yang
- Department of Radiology, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, 1508 Longhang Road, Shanghai, 201508, China
| | - Jinwei Qiang
- Department of Radiology, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, 1508 Longhang Road, Shanghai, 201508, China.
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Häussinger D, Dhiman RK, Felipo V, Görg B, Jalan R, Kircheis G, Merli M, Montagnese S, Romero-Gomez M, Schnitzler A, Taylor-Robinson SD, Vilstrup H. Hepatic encephalopathy. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2022; 8:43. [PMID: 35739133 DOI: 10.1038/s41572-022-00366-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a prognostically relevant neuropsychiatric syndrome that occurs in the course of acute or chronic liver disease. Besides ascites and variceal bleeding, it is the most serious complication of decompensated liver cirrhosis. Ammonia and inflammation are major triggers for the appearance of HE, which in patients with liver cirrhosis involves pathophysiologically low-grade cerebral oedema with oxidative/nitrosative stress, inflammation and disturbances of oscillatory networks in the brain. Severity classification and diagnostic approaches regarding mild forms of HE are still a matter of debate. Current medical treatment predominantly involves lactulose and rifaximin following rigorous treatment of so-called known HE precipitating factors. New treatments based on an improved pathophysiological understanding are emerging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieter Häussinger
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Radha K Dhiman
- Department of Hepatology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, (Uttar Pradesh), India
| | - Vicente Felipo
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Centro de Investigación Principe Felipe, Valencia, Spain
| | - Boris Görg
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Rajiv Jalan
- Liver Failure Group ILDH, Division of Medicine, UCL Medical School, Royal Free Campus, London, UK.,European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gerald Kircheis
- Department of Gastroenterology, Diabetology and Hepatology, University Hospital Brandenburg an der Havel, Brandenburg Medical School, Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany
| | - Manuela Merli
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Universita' degli Studi di Roma - Sapienza, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Manuel Romero-Gomez
- UCM Digestive Diseases, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (HUVR/CSIC/US), University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Alfons Schnitzler
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Simon D Taylor-Robinson
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, St. Mary's Hospital Campus, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Hendrik Vilstrup
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
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Ogaly HA, Abdel-Rahman RF, Mohamed MAE, O A AF, Khattab MS, Abd-Elsalam RM. Thymol ameliorated neurotoxicity and cognitive deterioration in a thioacetamide-induced hepatic encephalopathy rat model; involvement of the BDNF/CREB signaling pathway. Food Funct 2022; 13:6180-6194. [PMID: 35583008 DOI: 10.1039/d1fo04292k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we aimed to delineate the neuroprotective potential of thymol (THY) against neurotoxicity and cognitive deterioration induced by thioacetamide (TAA) in an experimental model of hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Rats received TAA (100 mg kg-1, intraperitoneally injected, three times per week) for two weeks. THY (30 and 60 mg kg-1), and Vit E (100 mg k-1) were administered daily by oral gavage for 30 days after HE induction. Supplementation with THY significantly improved liver function, reduced serum ammonia level, and ameliorated the locomotor and cognitive deficits. THY effectively modulated the alteration in oxidative stress markers, neurotransmitters, and brain ATP content. Histopathology of liver and brain tissues showed that THY had ameliorated TAA-induced damage, astrocyte swelling and brain edema. Furthermore, THY downregulated NF-kB and upregulated GFAP protein expression. In addition, THY significantly promoted CREB and BDNF expression at both mRNA and protein levels, together with enhancing brain cAMP level. In conclusion, THY exerted hepato- and neuroprotective effects against HE by mitigating hepatotoxicity, hyperammonemia and brain ATP depletion via its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effects in addition to activation of the CREB/BDNF signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanan A Ogaly
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia. .,Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Rehab F Abdel-Rahman
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
| | - Marawan Abd Elbaset Mohamed
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
| | - Ahmed-Farid O A
- Department of Physiology, National Organization for Drug Control and Research, Giza, Egypt
| | - Marwa S Khattab
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Reham M Abd-Elsalam
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
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Häussinger D, Butz M, Schnitzler A, Görg B. Pathomechanisms in hepatic encephalopathy. Biol Chem 2021; 402:1087-1102. [PMID: 34049427 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2021-0168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a frequent neuropsychiatric complication in patients with acute or chronic liver failure. Symptoms of HE in particular include disturbances of sensory and motor functions and cognition. HE is triggered by heterogeneous factors such as ammonia being a main toxin, benzodiazepines, proinflammatory cytokines and hyponatremia. HE in patients with liver cirrhosis is triggered by a low-grade cerebral edema and cerebral oxidative/nitrosative stress which bring about a number of functionally relevant alterations including posttranslational protein modifications, oxidation of RNA, gene expression changes and senescence. These alterations are suggested to impair astrocyte/neuronal functions and communication. On the system level, a global slowing of oscillatory brain activity and networks can be observed paralleling behavioral perceptual and motor impairments. Moreover, these changes are related to increased cerebral ammonia, alterations in neurometabolite and neurotransmitter concentrations and cortical excitability in HE patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieter Häussinger
- Clinic for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Infectious Diseases, Heinrich Heine University, Moorenstr. 5, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus Butz
- Department of Neurology/Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Moorenstr. 5, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Alfons Schnitzler
- Department of Neurology/Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Moorenstr. 5, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Boris Görg
- Clinic for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Infectious Diseases, Heinrich Heine University, Moorenstr. 5, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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Prabu Kumar A, Omprakash A, Kuppusamy M, K.N. M, B.W.C. S, P.V. V, Ramaswamy P. How does cognitive function measured by the reaction time and critical flicker fusion frequency correlate with the academic performance of students? BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION 2020; 20:507. [PMID: 33317499 PMCID: PMC7734712 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-020-02416-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The reaction time (RT) is "the time taken for the appearance of rapid voluntary reaction by an individual following a stimulus, either auditory or visual" and the Critical Flickering Fusion Frequency (CFFF) is "the rate at which successively presented light stimuli appear to be steady and continuous". RT and CFFF are commonly used for the assessment of cognitive functions that are known to influence academic performance. However, data about the exact correlation between these are scarce, particularly in India. This research aimed to study the association between visual RT (VRT), auditory RT (ART) and CFFF and their impact on the academic performance of undergraduate students. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted on 700 students of Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at a private medical university in South India, during the period from 2015 to 2017. The VRT, ART and CFFF were evaluated, and the best out of three subsequent attempts was recorded. The mean score (in percentage) of the three best marks out of the five internal assessments for the course during each academic year was considered for analysis. The association between the different cognitive tests and the average academic performance was analysed. RESULTS Female students had faster VRT (n = 345, mean = 243.97, SD = 83.87) than male students (n = 273, mean = 274.86, SD = 96.97) (p = 0.001). VRT and ART had a moderate negative correlation with academic performance (for ART, r = - 0.42, p < 0.001; for VRT; r = - 0.40, p < 0.001). CFFF had a very weak positive correlation with academic performance (r = 0.19, p = 0.01). The only independent predictors of academic performance were RT and gender (Adjusted R2 = 0.11). CONCLUSION Although there is a correlation between CFFF and cognitive function, our study showed only a weak correlation between CFFF and academic performance. Female students had faster RTs, and gender was an independent predictor of academic performance. Rather, students with faster RTs appear to have an advantage in academic performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Archana Prabu Kumar
- Present Address: Medical Education Unit, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain
- Department of Physiology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
| | - Abirami Omprakash
- Department of Physiology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
| | - Maheshkumar Kuppusamy
- Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, Government Yoga and Naturopathy Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
| | - Maruthy K.N.
- Department of Physiology, Narayana Medical College, Nellore, India
| | - Sathiyasekaran B.W.C.
- Department of Community Medicine, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
| | - Vijayaraghavan P.V.
- Department of Orthopaedics, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
| | - Padmavathi Ramaswamy
- Department of Physiology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
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Kushwah N, Jain V, Yadav D. Osmolytes: A Possible Therapeutic Molecule for Ameliorating the Neurodegeneration Caused by Protein Misfolding and Aggregation. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10010132. [PMID: 31941036 PMCID: PMC7022651 DOI: 10.3390/biom10010132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Most of the neurological disorders in the brain are caused by the abnormal buildup of misfolded or aggregated proteins. Osmolytes are low molecular weight organic molecules usually built up in tissues at a quite high amount during stress or any pathological condition. These molecules help in providing stability to the aggregated proteins and protect these proteins from misfolding. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the uttermost universal neurological disorder that can be described by the deposition of neurofibrillary tangles, aggregated/misfolded protein produced by the amyloid β-protein (Aβ). Osmolytes provide stability to the folded, functional form of a protein and alter the folding balance away from aggregation and/or degradation of the protein. Moreover, they are identified as chemical chaperones. Brain osmolytes enhance the pace of Aβ aggregation, combine with the nearby water molecules more promptly, and avert the aggregation/misfolding of proteins by providing stability to them. Therefore, osmolytes can be employed as therapeutic targets and may assist in potential drug design for many neurodegenerative and other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neetu Kushwah
- Functional Genomics Unit, CSIR-institute of genomics and integrative biology, Mall road, Delhi 110007, India;
| | - Vishal Jain
- Department of ECE, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15289, USA
- Correspondence: (V.J.); (D.Y.); Tel.: +1-412-251-3042 (V.J.); +82-10-2202-1191(D.Y.)
| | - Dhananjay Yadav
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 712-749, Korea
- Correspondence: (V.J.); (D.Y.); Tel.: +1-412-251-3042 (V.J.); +82-10-2202-1191(D.Y.)
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Zeng G, Penninkilampi R, Chaganti J, Montagnese S, Brew BJ, Danta M. Meta-analysis of magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the diagnosis of hepatic encephalopathy. Neurology 2020; 94:e1147-e1156. [DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000008899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
ObjectiveVarious imaging modalities have been used to explore pathogenic mechanisms and stratify the severity of hepatic encephalopathy (HE). The hypothesis of this meta-analysis was that there is a progressive identifiable derangement of imaging measures using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) related to the severity of the HE.MethodsStudies with more than 10 cases and HE diagnosis were identified from the electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Literatura Latino Americana em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS), and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) through July 25, 2018. Participants were stratified into healthy controls and patients with non-HE (NHE) (cirrhosis without HE), minimal HE (MHE), and overt HE (OHE). Analyses were organized by metabolite studied and brain region examined. Statistical meta-analysis was performed using the metafor package in R (v3.4.1). Pooled standardized mean differences between patient groups were calculated using a random effects model.ResultsWe identified 31 studies (1,481 patients) that included data for cirrhosis-related HE. We found the parietal region to be the most reliable in differentiating between patients with and without MHE, with standard mean differences of +0.82 (95% confidence interval [CI] +0.49 to +1.15, p < 0.0001, I2 = 37.45%) for glutamine/glutamate, −0.36 (95% CI −0.61 to −0.10, p = 0.007, I2 = 20.00%) for choline, and−0.77 (95% CI −1.19 to −0.34, p = 0.0004, I2 = 67.48%) for myo-inositol. We also found that glutamine/glutamate was the metabolite that reliably correlated with HE grade in all brain regions.ConclusionsThe meta-analysis reveals that MRS changes in glutamine/glutamate, choline, and myo-inositol, particularly in the parietal lobe, correlate with the severity of HE. MRS may be of value in the assessment of HE.
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11
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Salminen LE, Wilcox RR, Zhu AH, Riedel BC, Ching CRK, Rashid F, Thomopoulos SI, Saremi A, Harrison MB, Ragothaman A, Knight V, Boyle CP, Medland SE, Thompson PM, Jahanshad N. Altered Cortical Brain Structure and Increased Risk for Disease Seen Decades After Perinatal Exposure to Maternal Smoking: A Study of 9000 Adults in the UK Biobank. Cereb Cortex 2019; 29:5217-5233. [PMID: 31271414 PMCID: PMC6918926 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2018] [Revised: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Secondhand smoke exposure is a major public health risk that is especially harmful to the developing brain, but it is unclear if early exposure affects brain structure during middle age and older adulthood. Here we analyzed brain MRI data from the UK Biobank in a population-based sample of individuals (ages 44-80) who were exposed (n = 2510) or unexposed (n = 6079) to smoking around birth. We used robust statistical models, including quantile regressions, to test the effect of perinatal smoke exposure (PSE) on cortical surface area (SA), thickness, and subcortical volumes. We hypothesized that PSE would be associated with cortical disruption in primary sensory areas compared to unexposed (PSE-) adults. After adjusting for multiple comparisons, SA was significantly lower in the pericalcarine (PCAL), inferior parietal (IPL), and regions of the temporal and frontal cortex of PSE+ adults; these abnormalities were associated with increased risk for several diseases, including circulatory and endocrine conditions. Sensitivity analyses conducted in a hold-out group of healthy participants (exposed, n = 109, unexposed, n = 315) replicated the effect of PSE on SA in the PCAL and IPL. Collectively our results show a negative, long term effect of PSE on sensory cortices that may increase risk for disease later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Salminen
- Imaging Genetics Center, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA USA
| | - Rand R Wilcox
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alyssa H Zhu
- Imaging Genetics Center, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA USA
| | - Brandalyn C Riedel
- Imaging Genetics Center, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA USA
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Christopher R K Ching
- Imaging Genetics Center, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA USA
| | - Faisal Rashid
- Imaging Genetics Center, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA USA
| | - Sophia I Thomopoulos
- Imaging Genetics Center, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA USA
| | - Arvin Saremi
- Imaging Genetics Center, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA USA
| | - Marc B Harrison
- Imaging Genetics Center, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA USA
| | - Anjanibhargavi Ragothaman
- Imaging Genetics Center, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA USA
| | - Victoria Knight
- Imaging Genetics Center, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA USA
| | - Christina P Boyle
- Imaging Genetics Center, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA USA
| | - Sarah E Medland
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Paul M Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA USA
| | - Neda Jahanshad
- Imaging Genetics Center, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA USA
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12
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Zöllner HJ, Butz M, Jördens M, Füllenbach ND, Häussinger D, Schmitt B, Wittsack HJ, Schnitzler A. Chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging in hepatic encephalopathy. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 22:101743. [PMID: 30856541 PMCID: PMC6411782 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common complication in liver cirrhosis and associated with an invasion of ammonia into the brain through the blood-brain barrier. Resulting higher ammonia concentrations in the brain are suggested to lead to a dose-dependent gradual increase of HE severity and an associated impairment of brain function. Amide proton transfer-weighted (APTw) chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging has been found to be sensitive to ammonia concentration. The aim of this work was to study APTw CEST imaging in patients with HE and to investigate the relationship between disease severity, critical flicker frequency (CFF), psychometric test scores, blood ammonia, and APTw signals in different brain regions. Whole-brain APTw CEST images were acquired in 34 participants (14 controls, 20 patients (10 minimal HE, 10 manifest HE)) on a 3 T clinical MRI system accompanied by T1 mapping and structural images. T1 normalized magnetization transfer ratio asymmetry analysis was performed around 3 ppm after B0 and B1 correction to create APTw images. All APTw images were spatially normalized into a cohort space to allow direct comparison. APTw images in 6 brain regions (cerebellum, occipital cortex, putamen, thalamus, caudate, white matter) were tested for group differences as well as the link to CFF, psychometric test scores, and blood ammonia. A decrease in APTw intensities was found in the cerebellum and the occipital cortex of manifest HE patients. In addition, APTw intensities in the cerebellum correlated positively with several psychometric scores, such as the fine motor performance scores MLS1 for hand steadiness / tremor (r = 0.466; p = .044) and WRT2 for motor reaction time (r = 0.523; p = .022). Moreover, a negative correlation between APTw intensities and blood ammonia was found for the cerebellum (r = −0.615; p = .007) and the occipital cortex (r = −0.478; p = .045). An increase of APTw intensities was observed in the putamen of patients with minimal HE and correlated negatively with the CFF (r = −0.423; p = .013). Our findings demonstrate that HE is associated with regional differential alterations in APTw signals. These variations are most likely a consequence of hyperammonemia or hepatocerebral degeneration processes, and develop in parallel with disease severity. Ammonia is suggested to play a key role in the emergence of HE. Increase of ammonia in HE patients might be studied with APTw CEST. HE leads to regionally decreasing APTw CEST signal. APTw CEST correlates with blood ammonia levels and psychometric test scores. APTw CEST is possibly linked to hyperammonemia or hepatocerebral degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helge Jörn Zöllner
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany; Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Markus Butz
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus Jördens
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Nur-Deniz Füllenbach
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dieter Häussinger
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Benjamin Schmitt
- Siemens Ltd. Australia, Healthcare Sector, 160 Herring Road, Macquarie Park, NSW 2113,Australia
| | - Hans-Jörg Wittsack
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Alfons Schnitzler
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
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13
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Lazar M, Butz M, Baumgarten TJ, Füllenbach ND, Jördens MS, Häussinger D, Schnitzler A, Lange J. Impaired Tactile Temporal Discrimination in Patients With Hepatic Encephalopathy. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2059. [PMID: 30425672 PMCID: PMC6218607 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The sensory system constantly receives stimuli from the external world. To discriminate two stimuli correctly as two temporally distinct events, the temporal distance or stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between the two stimuli has to exceed a specific threshold. If the SOA between two stimuli is shorter than this specific threshold, the two stimuli will be perceptually fused and perceived as one single stimulus. Patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) are known to show manifold perceptual impairments, including slowed visual temporal discrimination abilities as measured by the critical flicker frequency (CFF). Here, we hypothesized that HE patients are also impaired in their tactile temporal discrimination abilities and, thus, require a longer SOA between two tactile stimuli to perceive the stimuli as two temporally distinct events. To test this hypothesis, patients with varying grades of HE and age-matched healthy individuals performed a tactile temporal discrimination task. All participants received two tactile stimuli with varying SOA applied to their left index finger and reported how many distinct stimuli they perceived ("1" vs. "2"). HE patients needed a significantly longer SOA (138.0 ± 11.3 ms) between two tactile stimuli to perceive the stimuli as two temporally distinct events than healthy controls (78.6 ± 13.1 ms; p < 0.01). In addition, we found that the temporal discrimination ability in the tactile modality correlated positively with the temporal discrimination ability in the visual domain across all participants (i.e., negative correlation between tactile SOA and visual CFF: r = -0.37, p = 0.033). Our findings provide evidence that temporal tactile perception is substantially impaired in HE patients. In addition, the results suggest that tactile and visual discrimination abilities are affected in HE in parallel. This finding might argue for a common underlying pathophysiological mechanism. We argue that the known global slowing of neuronal oscillations in HE might represent such a common mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Lazar
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus Butz
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Thomas J Baumgarten
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Neuroscience Institute, Langone Medical Center, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Nur-Deniz Füllenbach
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus S Jördens
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dieter Häussinger
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Alfons Schnitzler
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Joachim Lange
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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14
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Zöllner HJ, Butz M, Kircheis G, Klinker S, Häussinger D, Schmitt B, Schnitzler A, Wittsack HJ. Ammonia-weighted imaging by chemical exchange saturation transfer MRI at 3 T. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2018; 31:e3947. [PMID: 29975436 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.3947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Revised: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is triggered by liver cirrhosis and is associated with an increased ammonia level within the brain tissue. The goal of this study was to investigate effects of ammonia on in vitro amide proton transfer (APT)-weighted chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging in order to develop an ammonia-sensitive brain imaging method. APT-weighted CEST imaging was performed on phantom solutions including pure ammonia, bovine serum albumin (BSA), and tissue homogenate samples doped with various ammonia concentrations. All CEST data were assessed by magnetization transfer ratio asymmetry. In addition, optical methods were used to determine possible structural changes of the proteins in the BSA phantom. In vivo feasibility measurements were acquired in one healthy participant and two patients suffering from HE, a disease associated with increased brain ammonia levels. The CEST effect of pure ammonia showed a base-catalyzed behavior. At pH values greater than 5.6 no CEST effect was observed. The APT-weighted signal was significantly reduced for ammonia concentrations of 5mM or more at fixed pH values within the different protein phantom solutions. The optical methods revealed no protein aggregation or denaturation for ammonia concentrations less than 5mM. The in vivo measurements showed tissue specific and global reduction of the observed CEST signal in patients with HE, possibly linked to pathologically increased ammonia levels. APT-weighted CEST imaging is sensitive to changes in ammonia concentrations. Thus, it seems useful for the investigation of pathologies with altered tissue ammonia concentrations such as HE. However, the underlying mechanism needs to be explored in more detail in future in vitro and in vivo investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helge Jörn Zöllner
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus Butz
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Gerald Kircheis
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Stefan Klinker
- Institute of Physical Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dieter Häussinger
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Benjamin Schmitt
- Siemens Ltd. Australia, Healthcare Sector, Macquarie, Park, NSW, Australia
| | - Alfons Schnitzler
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Hans-Jörg Wittsack
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
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15
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Baumgarten TJ, Neugebauer J, Oeltzschner G, Füllenbach ND, Kircheis G, Häussinger D, Lange J, Wittsack HJ, Butz M, Schnitzler A. Connecting occipital alpha band peak frequency, visual temporal resolution, and occipital GABA levels in healthy participants and hepatic encephalopathy patients. Neuroimage Clin 2018; 20:347-356. [PMID: 30109194 PMCID: PMC6090010 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have proposed a connection between the individual alpha band peak frequency and the temporal resolution of visual perception in healthy human participants. This connection rests on animal studies describing oscillations in the alpha band as a mode of phasic thalamocortical information transfer for low-level visual stimuli, which critically relies on GABAergic interneurons. Here, we investigated the interplay of these parameters by measuring occipital alpha band peak frequency by means of magnetoencephalography, visual temporal resolution by means of behavioral testing, and occipital GABA levels by means of magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Importantly, we investigated a sample of healthy participants and patients with varying grades of hepatic encephalopathy, which are known to exhibit decreases in the investigated parameters, thus providing an increased parameter space. We found that occipital alpha band peak frequency and visual temporal resolution were positively correlated, i.e., higher occipital alpha band peak frequencies were on average related to a higher temporal resolution. Likewise, occipital alpha band peak frequency correlated positively with occipital GABA levels. However, correlations were significant only when both healthy participants and patients were included in the analysis, thereby indicating a connection of the measures on group level (instead of the individual level). These findings provide new insights into neurophysiological and neurochemical underpinnings of visual perception.
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Key Words
- Alpha oscillations
- CFF, Critical flicker frequency
- CSD, Cross-spectral density
- EC, Eyes-closed
- ECG, Electro-cardiogram
- EO, Eyes-open
- EOG, Electro-oculogram
- GABA
- GABA+/Cr, GABA-to creatine -ratio
- GABA, γ-aminobutyric acid
- HE, Hepatic encephalopathy
- HE1, Clinically manifest HE grade 1
- HPI, Head position indication
- Hepatic encephalopathy
- ICA, Independent component analysis
- MEG, Magnetoencephalography
- MNI, Montreal Neurological Institute
- MRS, Magnetic resonance spectroscopy
- Magnetic resonance spectroscopy
- Magnetoencephalography
- Peak frequency
- mHE, Minimal HE
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Baumgarten
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Julia Neugebauer
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Georg Oeltzschner
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; F.M. Kirby Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nur-Deniz Füllenbach
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Gerald Kircheis
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dieter Häussinger
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Joachim Lange
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Hans-Jörg Wittsack
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus Butz
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Alfons Schnitzler
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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16
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Oeltzschner G, Zöllner HJ, Jonuscheit M, Lanzman RS, Schnitzler A, Wittsack HJ. J-difference-edited MRS measures of γ-aminobutyric acid before and after acute caffeine administration. Magn Reson Med 2018; 80:2356-2365. [PMID: 29752742 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.27233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2017] [Revised: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate potential effects of acute caffeine intake on J-difference-edited MRS measures of the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). METHODS J-difference-edited Mescher-Garwood PRESS (MEGA-PRESS) and conventional PRESS data were acquired at 3T from voxels in the anterior cingulate and occipital area of the brain in 15 healthy subjects, before and after oral intake of a 200-mg caffeine dose. MEGA-PRESS data were analyzed with the MATLAB-based Gannet tool to estimate GABA+ macromolecule (GABA+) levels, while PRESS data were analyzed with LCModel to estimate levels of glutamate, glutamate+glutamine, N-acetylaspartate, and myo-inositol. All metabolites were quantified with respect to the internal reference compounds creatine and tissue water, and compared between the pre- and post-caffeine intake condition. RESULTS For both MRS voxels, mean GABA+ estimates did not differ before and after caffeine intake. Slightly lower estimates of myo-inositol were observed after caffeine intake in both voxels. N-acetylaspartate, glutamate, and glutamate+glutamine did not show significant differences between conditions. CONCLUSION Mean GABA+ estimates from J-difference-edited MRS in two different brain regions are not altered by acute oral administration of caffeine. These findings may increase subject recruitment efficiency for MRS studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Oeltzschner
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.,F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Helge J Zöllner
- Institute for Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Marc Jonuscheit
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Rotem S Lanzman
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Alfons Schnitzler
- Institute for Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Hans-Jörg Wittsack
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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Preventive and Therapeutic Role of Functional Ingredients of Barley Grass for Chronic Diseases in Human Beings. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2018; 2018:3232080. [PMID: 29849880 PMCID: PMC5904770 DOI: 10.1155/2018/3232080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Barley grass powder is the best functional food that provides nutrition and eliminates toxins from cells in human beings; however, its functional ingredients have played an important role as health benefit. In order to better cognize the preventive and therapeutic role of barley grass for chronic diseases, we carried out the systematic strategies for functional ingredients of barley grass, based on the comprehensive databases, especially the PubMed, Baidu, ISI Web of Science, and CNKI, between 2008 and 2017. Barley grass is rich in functional ingredients, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), flavonoids, saponarin, lutonarin, superoxide dismutase (SOD), K, Ca, Se, tryptophan, chlorophyll, vitamins (A, B1, C, and E), dietary fiber, polysaccharide, alkaloid, metallothioneins, and polyphenols. Barley grass promotes sleep; has antidiabetic effect; regulates blood pressure; enhances immunity; protects liver; has anti-acne/detoxifying and antidepressant effects; improves gastrointestinal function; has anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypolipidemic, and antigout effects; reduces hyperuricemia; prevents hypoxia, cardiovascular diseases, fatigue, and constipation; alleviates atopic dermatitis; is a calcium supplement; improves cognition; and so on. These results support that barley grass may be one of the best functional foods for preventive chronic diseases and the best raw material of modern diet structure in promoting the development of large health industry and further reveal that GABA, flavonoids, SOD, K-Ca, vitamins, and tryptophan mechanism of barley grass have preventive and therapeutic role for chronic diseases. This paper can be used as a scientific evidence for developing functional foods and novel drugs for barley grass for preventive chronic diseases.
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18
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Harris AD, Puts NAJ, Wijtenburg SA, Rowland LM, Mikkelsen M, Barker PB, Evans CJ, Edden RAE. Normalizing data from GABA-edited MEGA-PRESS implementations at 3 Tesla. Magn Reson Imaging 2017; 42:8-15. [PMID: 28479342 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2017.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Revised: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 04/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Standardization of results is an important milestone in the maturation of any truly quantitative methodology. For instance, a lack of measurement agreement across imaging platforms limits multisite studies, between-study comparisons based on the literature, and inferences based on and the generalizability of results. In GABA-edited MEGA-PRESS, two key sources of differences between implementations are: differences in editing efficiency of GABA and the degree of co-editing of macromolecules (MM). In this work, GABA editing efficiency κ and MM-co-editing μ constants are determined for three widely used MEGA-PRESS implementations (on the most common MRI platforms; GE, Philips, and Siemens) by phantom experiments. Implementation-specific κ,μ-corrections were then applied to two in vivo datasets, one consisted of 8 subject scanned on the three platforms and the other one subject scanned eight times on each platform. Manufacturer-specific κ and μ values were determined as: κGE=0.436, κSiemens=0.366 and κPhilips=0.394 and μGE=0.83, μSiemens=0.625 and μPhilips=0.75. Applying the κ,μ-correction on the Cr-referenced data decreased the coefficient of variation (CV) of the data for both in vivo data sets (multisubjects: uncorrected CV=13%, κ,μ-corrected CV=5%, single subject: uncorrected CV=23%, κ,μ-corrected CV=13%) but had no significant effect on mean GABA levels. For the water-referenced results, CV increased in the multisubject data (uncorrected CV=6.7%, κ,μ-corrected CV=14%) while it decreased in the single subject data (uncorrected CV=24%, κ,μ-corrected CV=21%) and manufacturer was a significant source of variance in the κ,μ-corrected data. Applying a correction for editing efficiency and macromolecule contamination decreases the variance between different manufacturers for creatine-referenced data, but other sources of variance remain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley D Harris
- Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Child and Adolescent Imaging Research (CAIR) Program, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Nicolaas A J Puts
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - S Andrea Wijtenburg
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Laura M Rowland
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mark Mikkelsen
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA; CUBRIC, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Peter B Barker
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - C John Evans
- CUBRIC, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Richard A E Edden
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Glutamine triggers long-lasting increase in striatal network activity in vitro. Exp Neurol 2017; 290:41-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2017.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Revised: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Amin MM, Arbid MS. Estimation of ellagic acid and/or repaglinide effects on insulin signaling, oxidative stress, and inflammatory mediators of liver, pancreas, adipose tissue, and brain in insulin resistant/type 2 diabetic rats. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2017; 42:181-192. [DOI: 10.1139/apnm-2016-0429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Even though ellagic acid has previously been valued in many models of cancer, so far its full mechanistic effect as a natural antiapoptotic agent in the prevention of type 2 diabetes complications has not been completely elucidated, which was the goal of this study. We fed albino rats a high-fat fructose diet (HFFD) for 2 months to induce insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes and then treated the rats with ellagic acid (10 mg/kg body weight, orally) and/or repaglinide (0.5 mg/kg body weight, orally) for 2 weeks. At the serum level, ellagic acid challenged the consequences of HFFD, significantly improving the glucose/insulin balance, liver enzymes, lipid profile, inflammatory cytokines, redox level, adipokines, ammonia, and manganese. At the tissue level (liver, pancreas, adipose tissue, and brain), ellagic acid significantly enhanced insulin signaling, autophosphorylation, adiponectin receptors, glucose transporters, inflammatory mediators, and apoptotic markers. Remarkably, combined treatment with both ellagic acid and repaglinide had a more pronounced effect than treatment with either alone. These outcomes give new insight into the promising molecular mechanisms by which ellagic acid modulates numerous factors induced in the progression of diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed M. Amin
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical Division, National Research Centre, 33 EL Bohouth St., Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical Division, National Research Centre, 33 EL Bohouth St., Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud S. Arbid
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical Division, National Research Centre, 33 EL Bohouth St., Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical Division, National Research Centre, 33 EL Bohouth St., Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt
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Beta Peak Frequencies at Rest Correlate with Endogenous GABA+/Cr Concentrations in Sensorimotor Cortex Areas. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0156829. [PMID: 27258089 PMCID: PMC4892568 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 05/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuronal oscillatory activity in the beta band (15-30 Hz) is a prominent signal within the human sensorimotor cortex. Computational modeling and pharmacological modulation studies suggest an influence of GABAergic interneurons on the generation of beta band oscillations. Accordingly, studies in humans have demonstrated a correlation between GABA concentrations and power of beta band oscillations. It remains unclear, however, if GABA concentrations also influence beta peak frequencies and whether this influence is present in the sensorimotor cortex at rest and without pharmacological modulation. In the present study, we investigated the relation between endogenous GABA concentration (measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and beta oscillations (measured by magnetoencephalography) at rest in humans. GABA concentrations and beta band oscillations were measured for left and right sensorimotor and occipital cortex areas. A significant positive linear correlation between GABA concentration and beta peak frequency was found for the left sensorimotor cortex, whereas no significant correlations were found for the right sensorimotor and the occipital cortex. The results show a novel connection between endogenous GABA concentration and beta peak frequency at rest. This finding supports previous results that demonstrated a connection between oscillatory beta activity and pharmacologically modulated GABA concentration in the sensorimotor cortex. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that for a predominantly right-handed sample, the correlation between beta band oscillations and endogenous GABA concentrations is evident only in the left sensorimotor cortex.
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Use of quantitative brain water imaging as concentration reference for J-edited MR spectroscopy of GABA. Magn Reson Imaging 2016; 34:1057-63. [PMID: 27109486 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2016.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Revised: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/17/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To compare two different methods of obtaining the water reference for determination of quantitative water-scaled in vivo concentration estimates of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). METHODS Water-scaled GABA estimates from localized J-difference edited MR spectroscopy experiments can be computed using standard values for tissue-specific water content and relaxation times. Water content and relaxation may, however, be altered in pathology. This work re-analyzed data from a recent study in healthy controls and patients with minimal (mHE) or grade I (HE 1) hepatic encephalopathy, a disease associated with slight elevation of brain water content. J-difference edited MR spectroscopy data were combined with quantitative brain water measures, which provided individual water density references and T1 relaxation times. Resulting GABA estimates were compared to concentration values obtained using standard tissue-specific water content and relaxation values. RESULTS Occipital GABA concentration values obtained from individual water and T1 maps were 1.64±0.35mM in controls, and significantly higher (P<0.01) than in mHE (1.15±0.28mM) and HE 1 patients (1.18±0.09mM). Results from the tissue-dependent approach (1.58±0.30mM (controls), 1.10±0.27mM (mHE) and 1.12±0.12mM (HE 1)) were slightly lower (P<0.05 in each group). CONCLUSION Water-scaled in vivo GABA estimates can be obtained with individual water density and T1 relaxation mapping. This approach may be useful for studying GABA levels in pathologies with substantial brain water content or relaxation changes.
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