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Brain, Vol. 125, No. 12, 2743-2749, December 2002
© 2002 Oxford University Press

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and cognitive function in healthy elderly men

Karen J. Ferguson1,5, Alasdair M. J. MacLullich2,3, Ian Marshall1, Ian J. Deary4, John M. Starr3, Jonathan R. Seckl2 and Joanna M. Wardlaw1,5

1 Brain Imaging Research Centre for Scotland, 2 Molecular Medicine Centre, 3 Geriatric Medicine Unit, Western General Hospital and Departments of 4 Psychology and 5 Clinical Neurosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

Correspondence to: A. MacLullich, Geriatric Medicine Unit, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, 21 Chalmers Street, Edinburgh EH3 9EW, UK E-mail:a.maclullich{at}ed.ac.uk

Subtle cognitive decrements in older people are important in terms of the associated morbidity and as a risk factor for dementia. However, their pathophysiological basis is poorly understood. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) may provide the means to investigate early changes in brain metabolite concentrations. We examined the relationships between N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline (Cho) and creatine (Cr) metabolite ratios in a voxel in the parietal cortex and cognitive function in 88 healthy, non-demented, unmedicated men aged 65–70 years. We also used linear regression to give a value for each metabolite adjusted for the levels of the other two metabolites. Both NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios correlated positively with tests of verbal memory and a verbal memory factor (e.g. NAA/Cr and Logical Memory: r = 0.24, P < 0.05). Cho/Cr ratios also correlated positively with tests of visual memory (e.g. visual reproduction: r = 0.21, P < 0.05). Adjusted Cr levels correlated negatively and significantly with tests of verbal memory and the Verbal Memory Factor. The regression analysis suggested that Cr levels better explained the correlations between NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios and cognitive variables than NAA or Cho levels. These results suggest that in healthy men aged 65–70 years, metabolite levels relate to cognitive performance. Rising Cr levels may be an early marker of cognitive decline.


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