Reduced N-acetylaspartate to creatine ratio in the posterior cingulate correlates with cognition in Alzheimer's disease following four months of rivastigmine treatment.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2015

Journal

Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders

Volume

39

Issue

1-2

First Page

68

Last Page

80

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.1159/000367685

Abstract

AIM: To determine whether 4 months of rivastigmine treatment would result in metabolic changes and whether metabolic changes correlate with changes in cognition in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

METHODS: Magnetic resonance spectra were acquired from the posterior cingulate cortex of subjects with AD at 3 T. Magnetic resonance imaging scans and cognitive tests were performed before and 4 months after the beginning of the treatment. Metabolite concentrations were quantified and used to calculate the metabolite ratios.

RESULTS: On average, the N-acetylaspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr) ratio decreased by 12.7% following 4 months of rivastigmine treatment, but changes in the NAA/Cr ratio correlated positively with changes in Mini-Mental State Examination scores.

CONCLUSION: This positive correlation between changes in NAA/Cr and changes in cognitive performance suggests that the NAA/Cr ratio could be an objective indicator of a response to rivastigmine treatment.

Notes

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