[Proton magnetic-resonance spectroscopy in remitting and secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis]

Proton magnetic-resonance spectroscopy (PMRS) was used to measure the levels of inositol/myoinositol (Ins), choline, creatine/phosphocreatine (Cr), glutamine/glutamate (Glx/Glx1), N-acetylaspartate (NAA), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and lipids were measured in the foci of demyelinization in the brains of 59 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Magnetic-resonance imaging was performed during a single investigation. A control group comprised 20 healthy individuals. PMRS revealed significant alterations in the levels of metabolite in all the patients as compared with the controls: decreases in NAA by 23-52%, in Cr by 12-21%, in choline by 15-26%; increases in Ins by 51-63%; as well as the appearance of lipids (up to 100%). In MS, there were reduction in NAA/Cr, NAA/choline, and NAA/choline/Cr ratios by 12-53; 10-19; and 57-82%, respectively. As compared with the remitting MS, secondary-progressive MS showed decreases in the content of NAA by 23-25%, NAA/(choline + Cr) by 48-54% and increases in the levels of Ins and lipids by 50-76%. In remitting MS, there was a strong correlation between the NAA/Cr ratio and the volume brain lesion. It is concluded that PMRS evaluated the extent, pattern and activity of demyelinization (by the levels of Ins, NAA, Cr, lipids) and the intensity of cerebral atrophy (by NAA levels, NAA/Cr ratio). The findings testify that there are neurochemical differences between remitting and secondary-progressive MS.