PMID: 20648464Jul 22, 2010Paper

Hydrogen magnetic resonance quantitative spectroscopy at 3 T in symptomatic and asymptomatic Huntington's disease patients

Revista de neurologia
Sarael Alcauter-SolórzanoFernando A Barrios

Abstract

Huntington's disease is an hereditary autosomic-dominant neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by motor, cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. To quantify differences in N-acetylaspartate, creatine and choline in caudate nucleus, putamen and occipital cortex of patients with Huntington's disease, symptomatics and asymptomatics. Hydrogen magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed with a 3 T scanner in 10 Huntington's disease gene-tested subjects, included in three groups: negative (control), positive symptomatics and positive asymptomatics. Data was quantified with LCModel and analyzed with ANOVA and Fisher tests. Symptomatic patients showed decreased creatine and N-acetylaspartate in the three regions, and decreased choline only in putamen (p < 0.05). Choline difference was found between symptomatics and asymptomatics in the caudate nucleus (p < 0.05). Results may reflect neuronal dysfunction and suggest that creatine and choline may serve as markers for Huntington's disease progression.

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