A proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging study on prefrontal lobe and hippocampus in male patients with first-episode mania

Abstract

Objective To identify the metabolic alterations on prefrontal lobes and hippocampus in male patients with the first-episode mania using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy(1H-MRS). Method 18 male patients with the first-episode mania and 27 healthy subjects matched for age, gender, and years of education were included in the study.1H-MRS was performed in two sides of the hippocampus and frontal lobes regions.The ratios of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline (Cho)to creatine (Cr) were measured .One-sample t test and paired-samples t test were used for statistic process. Results Male patients with the first-episode mania presented decreased NAA/Cr in left frontal lobe and hippocampus regions when compared to normal controls(left frontal lobe(1.68±0.19 vs 1.86±0.19), hippocampus(1.32±0.10 vs 1.43±0.16), P 0.05). Two groups also showed no significant difference for Cho/Cr in bilateral frontal lobe and hippocampus(P>0.05). Conclusion There is significant difference of manifestation of 1H-MRS between male patients with mania and normal controls, which reflects neuronal dysfunction in the prefrontal lobes and hippocampus. Key words: Bipolar disorder; Frontal lobe; Hippocampus; Magnetic resonance spectroscopy