2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Visualization of Molecular Mechanism of Brain Function and Neurological Disease Using High Magnetic Field MRI
| Project/Area Number |
17591275
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Radiation science
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokushima |
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Principal Investigator |
HARADA Masafumi The University of Tokushima, Faculty of Medicine, Professor, 医学部, 教授 (20228654)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KAJI Ryuuji The University of Tokushima, Institute of Health Biosciences, Professor, 大学院ヘルスバイオサイエンス研究部, 教授 (00214304)
UENO Syuuichi The University of Tokushima, Faculty of Medicine, Professor, 医学部, 教授 (80232768)
KUBO Hitoshi The University of Tokushima, Faculty of Medicine, Assoc.Professor, 医学部, 講師 (00325292)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2005 – 2006
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| Keywords | MRS / GABA / NAA / MEGA-PRESS / SPECT |
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| Research Abstract |
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in normal subjects and patients was measured using MEGA-PRESS on clinical 3T MR apparatus and the GABAnergic index was proposed. The result of GABA nergic index was compared with the data of receptor scintigraphy in the autistic patients.
Ten autistic patients (2〜11 y.o., mean 5.2 y.o.) were measured by routine anatomical MRI and after obtaining informed consents from their parents, single voxel proton MRS including MEGA-PRESS was conducted. As age-matched normal controls, six children (3〜12 y.o., mean 6.6 y.o.) who show no neurological abnormality and anatomical disorder in the brain by MRI were recruited after getting informed consents. The measured locations were left frontal lobe and left basal ganglia. The in-vitro data of NAA, Glutamine, Glutamate and GABA were acquired by MEGA-PRESS and set as a basis-set for LCModel. The quantification of signals in the difference and original spectrum by MEGA-PRESS were conducted by LCModel. A new parameter for GABAnergic neurons was defined as followed: GABAnergic index=(GABA signal from a subtracted spectra divided by NAA signal from the original spectra without selective pulses).
The result of GABAnergic index in the frontal lobe and basal ganglia and this index in the frontal lobe on autistic patients were lower than that on normal controls (p<0.05). However, there is no difference in the basal ganglia between autism and normal controls. An example of the receptor scintigraphy (iomazenil SPECT) showed the activity ratio of the frontal lobe/cerebellum in autism was lower than that of the normal controls. This finding on the receptor scintigraphy was almost consistent with the result of GABAnergic index, suggesting the decrease of GABAnergic activity in the frontal lobe on autistic patients.
The GABAnergic index calculated from MEGA-PRESS data would be useful for the evaluation of neurochemical disorder on autistic patients.
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