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Longitudinal Changes During Aging Using Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

¹ School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
² Neuropsychiatric Institute and ³ Academic Department for Old Age Psychiatry, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia.

Address correspondence to Perminder S. Sachdev, MD, PhD, FRANZCP, Euroa Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales 2031, Australia. E-mail: p.sachdev{at}unsw.edu.au

Objective. We aimed to examine the longitudinal change in proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS) visible metabolites (N-acetyl aspartate [NAA], creatine [Cr], choline [Cho], and myo-Inositol [mI]) in brains of elderly individuals over 3 years and relate them to cognitive function.

Methods. Neurologically and psychiatrically normal volunteers (n = 40) were examined at baseline and 3 years later with ¹H-MRS in two voxels (frontal white matter n = 29, and occipitoparietal gray matter n = 36) and with detailed neuropsychological assessments. Longitudinal analyses were performed with age, educational level, sex, and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in voxels as covariates.

Results. Frontal mI was significantly increased over time in male participants, but all other metabolites were stable over time. Neuropsychological performance was not significantly changed over 3 years, and there was no relationship between change in metabolite levels and change in neuropsychological function.

Conclusions. MRS-visible metabolites are stable in elderly persons over 3 years, with the exception of mI which shows an increase. Increasing mI may be a marker of aging or a preclinical neurodegenerative process. MRS changes do not correlate with change in neurocognitive function during aging.

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