Abstract
BackgroundThe brain biochemical changes of social anxiety have not been clarified although there have been a limited number of MR spectroscopic studies which utilized metabolite/creatine ratios. Present study aimed to explore the alteration of absolute metabolite concentration in social anxiety disorder using quantitative MR spectroscopy.Materials and MethodsWith a 3.0T MR scanner, single voxel MR spectroscopy (stimulated echo acquisition mode, TR/TE/TM = 2000/20/16 ms) was performed in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and related regions of nine medication-free patients with social anxiety disorder and nine controls. Absolute metabolite concentration was calculated using tissue water as the internal reference and corrected for the partial volume of cerebrospinal fluid.ResultsIn the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the N-acetyl aspartate/creatine ratio of patients was significantly higher than that of controls, and this was due to the decrease of creatine concentration instead of the increase of N-acetyl aspartate concentration. Furthermore, the creatine concentration of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was negatively correlated with the scores of Liebowitz social anxiety scale.ConclusionsThe alteration of creatine level in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex suggests abnormal energy metabolism and correlates with symptom severity in social anxiety disorder. And metabolite concentration is preferable to metabolite/creatine ratio for the investigation of individual, absolute metabolite changes in this region of social anxiety disorder.
Highlights
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is among the most common anxiety disorders and is among the most common psychiatric disorders
In the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the N-acetyl aspartate/creatine ratio of patients was significantly higher than that of controls, and this was due to the decrease of creatine concentration instead of the increase of N-acetyl aspartate concentration
The creatine concentration of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was negatively correlated with the scores of Liebowitz social anxiety scale
Summary
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is among the most common anxiety disorders and is among the most common psychiatric disorders. It is reported that 69%– 92% of SAD patients have at least one kind of other mental disorders including other anxiety disorders (the most common complication), major depressive disorders, and substance abuse disorders [3]. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) allows in-depth investigation of metabolic changes in specific brain regions. A few MRS studies of SAD [4,5,6,7,8] have been reported, most of which used metabolites/creatine (Cr) ratios to represent absolute metabolite changes based on the assumption that Cr level remained stable under various conditions. The brain biochemical changes of social anxiety have not been clarified there have been a limited number of MR spectroscopic studies which utilized metabolite/creatine ratios. Present study aimed to explore the alteration of absolute metabolite concentration in social anxiety disorder using quantitative MR spectroscopy
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
