These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Correlation of global N-acetyl aspartate with cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis.
    Author: Mathiesen HK, Jonsson A, Tscherning T, Hanson LG, Andresen J, Blinkenberg M, Paulson OB, Sorensen PS.
    Journal: Arch Neurol; 2006 Apr; 63(4):533-6. PubMed ID: 16606765.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: Whole-brain N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), a measure of neuronal function, can be assessed by multislice echo-planar spectroscopic imaging. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that the global brain NAA/creatine (Cr) ratio is a better predictor of cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis than conventional magnetic resonance imaging measures. DESIGN: Survey. SETTING: Research-oriented hospitals. PATIENTS: Twenty patients, 16 women and 4 men (mean age, 36 years), with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (mean Expanded Disability Status Scale score, 2.5). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Correlation between the global NAA/Cr ratio and a cognitive dysfunction factor comprising 16 measures from an extensive neuropsychological test battery that best distinguished patients with multiple sclerosis from healthy control subjects. RESULTS: A significant partial correlation between the global NAA/Cr ratio and the cognitive dysfunction factor was found (partial r = 0.62, P = .01), and 9 cognitively impaired patients had significantly lower global NAA/Cr ratios than 11 unimpaired patients (P = .04). No significant correlations were found between the cognitive dysfunction factor and conventional magnetic resonance imaging measures (ie, brain parenchymal fraction and lesion volume). CONCLUSIONS: Multislice echo-planar spectroscopic imaging provides global metabolic measures that distinguish between cognitively impaired and unimpaired patients with multiple sclerosis and correlate with a global cognitive measure. Standardization of the technique is needed, and larger-scale studies that include healthy controls are suggested.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]