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Dorsolateral prefrontal N-acetyl-aspartate concentration in male patients with chronic schizophrenia and with chronic bipolar disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

V. Molina ,
J. Sánchez ,
J. Sanz ,
S. Reig ,
C. Benito ,
I. Leal ,
F. Sarramea ,
R. Rebolledo ,
T. Palomo  and
M. Desco
V. Molina*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Paseo de San Vicente 58-182, E-37007Salamanca, Spain
J. Sánchez
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Medicine, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
J. Sanz
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Doce de Octubre, Madrid, Spain
S. Reig
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Medicine, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
C. Benito
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
I. Leal
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
F. Sarramea
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
R. Rebolledo
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Doce de Octubre, Madrid, Spain
T. Palomo
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Doce de Octubre, Madrid, Spain
M. Desco
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Medicine, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
*
*Corresponding author. Tel./fax: +34923291448. E-mail address: vmolina@usal.es (V. Molina).
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Abstract

Objectives

A study of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) can provide data of interest about cortical alterations in psychotic illnesses. Although a decreased NAA level in the cerebral cortex is a replicated finding in chronic schizophrenia, the data are less consistent for bipolar disease. On the other hand, it is likely that NAA values in schizophrenia may differ in men and women.

Methods

We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) to examine NAA levels in the prefrontal cortex in two groups of male patients, one with schizophrenia (n = 11) and the other with bipolar disorder (n = 13) of similar duration, and compared them to a sample of healthy control males (n = 10). Additionally, we compared the degree of structural deviations from normal volumes of gray matter (GM) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

Results

Compared to controls, schizophrenia and bipolar patients presented decreased NAA to creatine ratios, while only the schizophrenia group showed an increase in CSF in the dorsolateral prefrontal region. There were no differences in choline to creatine ratios among the groups.

Conclusions

These data suggest that the decrease in NAA in the prefrontal region may be similar in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, at least in the chronic state. However, cortical CSF may be markedly increased in schizophrenia patients.

Keywords

SchizophreniaBipolar disorderN-acetyl-aspartateSpectroscopyPrefrontal cortex
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 22 , Issue 8 , November 2007 , pp. 505 - 512
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2007

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