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Free keywords:
Cerebral small vessel disease; Proton spectroscopy; Cognitive impairment; Cholin; N-acetyl aspartate
Abstract:
This study sought to investigate whether clinical and neuropsychological impairment in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) can be evaluated by proton spectroscopy (1H-MRS) and structural magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Sixteen patients with CSVD and 15 healthy age-matched controls participated in the study. In addition to spectroscopic and structural MR examination all patients underwent a comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological investigation. Significant differences in between patients and controls were revealed by 1H-MRS in the parietal white matter: decreased metabolic ratios of N-acetyl aspartate to choline (NAA/Cho; patients: 1.37 ± 0.17, control: 1.72 ± 0.25, p < 0.001) and of N-acetyl aspartate to creatin (NAA/Cr; patients: 1.41 ± 0.15, control: 1.66 ± 0.2, p < 0.01) indicated a pathological state. Evaluation of spectroscopic and neuropsychological data revealed a close relation between attentional impairment, i.e. delayed cerebral transmission time and decreased NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr (r = 0.62, p = 0.014). In sum, 1H-MRS allowed a clear discrimination between patients with CSVD and age-matched normal controls. Moreover, comparisons of 1H-MRS and neuropsychological data suggested that NAA metabolic levels, and particularly the delay in cerebral transmission time, could be potential predictors of the severeness of attentional impairment.
