Decreased Hippocampal N-acetylaspartate in the Absence of Atrophy in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Overview

Journal Biol Psychiatry

Publisher Elsevier

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2001 Dec 26

PMID 11750891

Citations 64

Authors

N Schuff

T C Neylan

M A Lenoci

A T Du

D S Weiss

C R Marmar

M W Weiner

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Previous magnetic resonance imaging studies of posttraumatic stress disorder reported hippocampal volume loss. The goals of this study were 1) to determine the relationship between hippocampal atrophy and posttraumatic stress disorder in the absence of alcohol abuse, and 2) to test if loss of N-acetylaspartate (a neuron marker) in the hippocampus of posttraumatic stress disorder occurs separate from atrophy. In addition, volume changes in the entorhinal cortex were also explored.

Methods: Eighteen male patients with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (mean age 51.2 +/- 2.5 years) and 19 male control subjects (mean age 51.8 +/- 3.2 years) were studied using magnetic resonance imaging and Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging. Both groups had no alcohol and drug abuse during the past 5 years.

Results: Posttraumatic stress disorder and control subjects had similar volumes of hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. In contrast to volume, N-acetylaspartate was significantly reduced by about 23% bilaterally in the hippocampus of posttraumatic stress disorder when compared with control subjects, and creatine-containing compounds were reduced by 26% in the right hippocampus of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Conclusions: N-acetyl asparate and creatine reductions imply that there are hippocampal abnormalities in posttraumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, these metabolite changes seem to be better indicators of posttraumatic stress disorder pathology than volume losses.

Citing Articles

Progress in the application of molecular imaging in psychiatric disorders.

Tan J, Zhang G, Hao J, Cai H, Wu D, Su Z Psychoradiology. 2024; 3:kkad020.

PMID: 38666107 PMC: 10917387. DOI: 10.1093/psyrad/kkad020.

Association of Blood Metabolomics Biomarkers with Brain Metabolites and Patient-Reported Outcomes as a New Approach in Individualized Diagnosis of Schizophrenia.

Krzysciak W, Bystrowska B, Karcz P, Chrzan R, Bryll A, Turek A Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(4).

PMID: 38396971 PMC: 10888632. DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042294.

Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Swanberg K, Campos L, Abdallah C, Juchem C Chronic Stress (Thousand Oaks). 2022; 6:24705470221128004.

PMID: 36237981 PMC: 9551353. DOI: 10.1177/24705470221128004.

Structural brain features signaling trauma, PTSD, or resilience? A systematic exploration.

Zilcha-Mano S, Zhu X, Lazarov A, Suarez-Jimenez B, Helpman L, Kim Y Depress Anxiety. 2022; 39(10-11):695-705.

PMID: 35708133 PMC: 9588504. DOI: 10.1002/da.23275.

White matter diffusivity and its correlations to state measures of psychopathology in male refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Uldall S, Lundell H, Baare W, Siebner H, Rostrup E, Carlsson J Neuroimage Clin. 2022; 33:102929.

PMID: 34998125 PMC: 8741622. DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102929.

References

Vakili K, Pillay S, Lafer B, Fava M, Renshaw P, Yurgelun-Todd D . Hippocampal volume in primary unipolar major depression: a magnetic resonance imaging study. Biol Psychiatry. 2000; 47(12):1087-90. DOI: 10.1016/s0006-3223(99)00296-6. View

Wilken B, Dechent P, Herms J, Maxton C, Markakis E, Hanefeld F . Quantitative proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of focal brain lesions. Pediatr Neurol. 2000; 23(1):22-31. DOI: 10.1016/s0887-8994(00)00141-7. View

Bertolino A, Callicott J, Mattay V, Weidenhammer K, RAKOW R, Egan M . The effect of treatment with antipsychotic drugs on brain N-acetylaspartate measures in patients with schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry. 2001; 49(1):39-46. DOI: 10.1016/s0006-3223(00)00997-5. View

Schuff N, Ezekiel F, Gamst A, Amend D, Capizzano A, Maudsley A . Region and tissue differences of metabolites in normally aged brain using multislice 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging. Magn Reson Med. 2001; 45(5):899-907. PMC: 1851682. DOI: 10.1002/mrm.1119. View

Bottomley P . Spatial localization in NMR spectroscopy in vivo. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1987; 508:333-48. DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1987.tb32915.x. View

Sapolsky R, Packan D, Vale W . Glucocorticoid toxicity in the hippocampus: in vitro demonstration. Brain Res. 1988; 453(1-2):367-71. DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(88)90180-1. View

Birken D, Oldendorf W . N-acetyl-L-aspartic acid: a literature review of a compound prominent in 1H-NMR spectroscopic studies of brain. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 1989; 13(1):23-31. DOI: 10.1016/s0149-7634(89)80048-x. View

Horner H, Packan D, Sapolsky R . Glucocorticoids inhibit glucose transport in cultured hippocampal neurons and glia. Neuroendocrinology. 1990; 52(1):57-64. DOI: 10.1159/000125539. View

Sapolsky R, Uno H, Rebert C, Finch C . Hippocampal damage associated with prolonged glucocorticoid exposure in primates. J Neurosci. 1990; 10(9):2897-902. PMC: 6570248. View

10.

Spitzer R, Williams J, GIBBON M, First M . The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID). I: History, rationale, and description. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1992; 49(8):624-9. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1992.01820080032005. View

11.

Watson C, Andermann F, Gloor P, Jones-Gotman M, Peters T, Evans A . Anatomic basis of amygdaloid and hippocampal volume measurement by magnetic resonance imaging. Neurology. 1992; 42(9):1743-50. DOI: 10.1212/wnl.42.9.1743. View

12.

Yehuda R, Southwick S, Krystal J, Bremner D, Charney D, Mason J . Enhanced suppression of cortisol following dexamethasone administration in posttraumatic stress disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 1993; 150(1):83-6. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.150.1.83. View

13.

Axelson D, Doraiswamy P, McDonald W, Boyko O, Tupler L, Patterson L . Hypercortisolemia and hippocampal changes in depression. Psychiatry Res. 1993; 47(2):163-73. DOI: 10.1016/0165-1781(93)90046-j. View

14.

Nurnberger Jr J, Blehar M, Kaufmann C, Simpson S, Harkavy-Friedman J, Severe J . Diagnostic interview for genetic studies. Rationale, unique features, and training. NIMH Genetics Initiative. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1994; 51(11):849-59; discussion 863-4. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1994.03950110009002. View

15.

BLAKE D, Weathers F, Nagy L, Kaloupek D, Gusman F, Charney D . The development of a Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. J Trauma Stress. 1995; 8(1):75-90. DOI: 10.1007/BF02105408. View

16.

Bremner J, Randall P, Scott T, Bronen R, Seibyl J, Southwick S . MRI-based measurement of hippocampal volume in patients with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 1995; 152(7):973-81. PMC: 3233767. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.152.7.973. View

17.

Wang S, Mason J, Southwick S, Johnson D, Lubin H, Charney D . Relationships between thyroid hormones and symptoms in combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychosom Med. 1995; 57(4):398-402. DOI: 10.1097/00006842-199507000-00012. View

18.

De Stefano N, Matthews P, Arnold D . Reversible decreases in N-acetylaspartate after acute brain injury. Magn Reson Med. 1995; 34(5):721-7. DOI: 10.1002/mrm.1910340511. View

19.

Sheline Y, Wang P, Gado M, Csernansky J, Vannier M . Hippocampal atrophy in recurrent major depression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996; 93(9):3908-13. PMC: 39458. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.93.9.3908. View

20.

Hugg J, Kuzniecky R, Gilliam F, Morawetz R, Fraught R, Hetherington H . Normalization of contralateral metabolic function following temporal lobectomy demonstrated by 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging. Ann Neurol. 1996; 40(2):236-9. DOI: 10.1002/ana.410400215. View