1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the lentiform nucleus in primary focal hand dystonia.

Abstract

Several radiologic findings point toward the lentiform nucleus as a possible site of lesion in primary dystonia. Histologic examinations, however, have shown inconsistent results. 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has proved helpful to assess neuronal degeneration in a variety of basal ganglia disorders. MRS data of dystonia patients are, however, lacking so far. 1H-MRS centered on the lentiform nuclei was performed in 14 patients with primary focal hand dystonia and in 12 healthy control subjects using a 1.5-T MR imager. No statistically significant differences of N-acetylaspartate/creatine and lactate/creatine ratios were found between patients and control subjects. Based on these data, the authors found no evidence that primary focal dystonia was associated with a conspicuous loss of lentiform nucleus neurons or a marked disturbance of the aerobic metabolism, although minor abnormalities cannot be excluded because of the possibly limited sensitivity of the method.