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Elevated brain scyllo-inositol concentrations in patients with Alzheimer's disease

H Randall Griffith1, Jan A den Hollander, Chris C Stewart

  • 1Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. rlgriffith@uabmc.edu

NMR in Biomedicine
|February 14, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Scyllo-inositol (sI) levels are elevated in mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and correlate with cognitive decline. This finding in vivo using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) may offer new insights into AD biomarkers.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Biochemistry
  • Neurology

Background:

  • Mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are associated with altered brain metabolites.
  • Previous studies indicated scyllo-inositol (sI) as a potential marker in AD, but in vivo data in MCI and AD patients were lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate in vivo levels of scyllo-inositol (sI) in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
  • To explore the relationship between sI levels and cognitive function in AD patients.

Main Methods:

  • Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) was performed on the posterior cingulate gyrus in 15 mild AD patients, 26 MCI patients, and 19 healthy controls.
  • Metabolite ratios including sI/creatine (Cr), myo-inositol/Cr (mI/Cr), and N-acetylaspartate/Cr (NAA/Cr) were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Elevated sI/Cr ratios were observed in mild AD patients compared to controls.
  • Increased mI/Cr ratios were found in both mild AD and MCI patients.
  • Reduced NAA/Cr ratios were detected in mild AD patients.
  • A negative correlation between sI/Cr ratio and clock drawing test performance was found in AD patients.

Conclusions:

  • In vivo (1)H MRS reveals elevated scyllo-inositol (sI) in mild AD, suggesting its potential as a biomarker.
  • Increased sI/Cr in AD correlates with cognitive impairment, warranting further investigation into its role and underlying mechanisms.
  • Longitudinal studies on sI/Cr in MCI and AD are recommended.

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