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Increased Glutamate in Somatosensory Cortex in Functional Dyspepsia
Arthur D P Mak1, Georg Northoff2, David K W Yeung3
1Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. arthurdpmak@cuhk.edu.hk.
Scientific Reports
|June 22, 2017
Summary
Functional Dyspepsia-Post-prandial Distress Syndrome (FD-PDS) involves increased somatosensory cortex (SSC) glutamate in patients. This heightened glutamate correlates with symptom severity and anxiety, offering new insights into FD-PDS neurochemistry.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging and neurochemistry
- Gastroenterology and psychiatry
Background:
- Functional Dyspepsia-Post-prandial Distress Syndrome (FD-PDS) shows altered brain activity in somatosensory cortex (SSC), insula, and perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC).
- Underlying neurochemical changes in these brain regions remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cortical neurochemical differences, specifically glutamate (Glu) and glutamine (Gln), in FD-PDS patients compared to healthy controls.
- To explore the relationship between regional metabolite concentrations and clinical symptoms of FD-PDS.
Main Methods:
- Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS) was used to quantify Glu/Cr+PCr and Gln/Glu ratios in bilateral pgACC, left insula, and SSC.
- 17 psychotropic-naïve female FD-PDS patients and 17 age-sex matched healthy controls were recruited.
- Spectra were acquired using PRESS with a short echo time (TE=24 ms).
Main Results:
- FD-PDS subjects exhibited significantly increased SSC Glu/Cr+PCr compared to controls.
- SSC Glu/Cr+PCr levels correlated significantly with postprandial distress chronicity, dyspeptic symptom severity, and anxiety.
- The correlation between SSC Glu/Cr+PCr and dyspepsia symptoms was mediated by anxiety, not depression.
Conclusions:
- Enhanced glutamatergic transmission in the SSC is implicated in FD-PDS.
- This heightened SSC glutamate may contribute to the chronicity and severity of post-prandial distress and associated anxiety in FD-PDS.
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