Correlation study between brain N-acetylaspartate and executive function in alcoholics

Abstract

Objective To investigate the changes of the N-acetylaspartate(NAA) concentrations in different brain regions and executive function skills in alcohol dependence, and to study the relationship between NAA levels and cognitive functions in subjects. Methods 49 male, non-smoking, alcohol-dependent patients and 45 healthy control subjects were measured with Proton 1H Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Results Alcoholics had lower NAA/Cr ratios in prefrontal grey matter(GM) (1.59±0.13) and white matter(WM) (1.58±0.12) regions and performed poorly on executive function tests compared to controls (P<0.001). NAA/Cr in left prefrontal regions positively correlated with certain parameters of EF testing (number of correct responses 30.37±3.73, perseverative errors 11.49±3.39, random errors 6.18±2.64, categories completed 2.08±1.59)in alcoholic group (P<0.01). NAA/Cr in prefrontal WM regions correlated with certain parameters of EF testing in alcoholic group (number of correct responses r=0.379, categories completed r=0.433, P<0.05). Conclusion Long-term, chronic alcoholism will damage neuronal viability and cognitive functions, which suggests that NAA concentrations can reflect the extent of damage of cognitive functions with decreased levels reflecting neuronal loss. Key words: Alcohol dependence; Magnetic resonance spectroscopy; N-acetylaspartate; Executive function