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Brain glutamate in medication-free depressed patients: a proton MRS study at 7 Tesla

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2017

Beata R. Godlewska
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK
Charles Masaki
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK
Ann L. Sharpley
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK
Philip J. Cowen*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK
Uzay E. Emir
Affiliation:
Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
*
Author for correspondence: Philip J. Cowen, E-mail: phil.cowen@psych.ox.ac.uk
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Abstract

Background

The possible role of glutamate in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression is of intense current interest. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) enables the detection of glutamate in the living human brain and meta-analyses of previous MRS studies in depressed patients have suggested that glutamate levels are decreased in anterior brain regions. Nevertheless, at conventional magnetic field strengths [1.5–3 Tesla (T)], it is difficult to separate glutamate from its metabolite and precursor, glutamine, with the two often being measured together as Glx. In contrast, MRS at 7 T allows clear spectral resolution of glutamate and glutamine.

Method

We studied 55 un-medicated depressed patients and 50 healthy controls who underwent MRS scanning at 7 T with voxels placed in anterior cingulate cortex, occipital cortex and putamen (PUT). Neurometabolites were calculated using the unsuppressed water signal as a reference.

Results

Compared with controls, depressed patients showed no significant difference in glutamate in any of the three voxels studied; however, glutamine concentrations in the patients were elevated by about 12% in the PUT (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The increase in glutamine in PUT is of interest in view of the postulated role of the basal ganglia in the neuropsychology of depression and is consistent with elevated activity in the descending cortical glutamatergic innervation to the PUT. The basal ganglia have rarely been the subject of MRS investigations in depressed patients and further MRS studies of these structures in depression are warranted.

Information

Type
Original Articles
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017
Figure 0

Fig. 1. Voxel placement and representative spectra from the ACC, OCC and PUT. Glu, glutamate; Gln, glutamine; GSH, glutathione; Cr, creatine; PCr, phosphocreatine; myoIns, myo-inositol; PC, phosphocholine; GPC, glycerophosphocholine; NAA, N-acetylaspartate; Asc, ascorbate.

Figure 1

Table 1. Demographic data and clinical scores

Figure 2

Fig. 2. Individual glutamine concentrations (μmol/g) in depressed patients (MDD) and healthy controls (HC) in ACC, OCC and PUT. Mean glutamine level in patients in PUT is significantly higher (t = 3.30; p < 0.001, t test).

Figure 3

Table 2. Mean (s.e.m.) absolute concentrations (μmol/g) glutamate and glutamine, corrected for GM, WM and CSF content in ACC, OCC and PUT

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