Magnetic resonance spectroscopy, β-amyloid load, and cognition in a population-based sample of cognitively normal older adults

K. Kantarci, V. Lowe, S. A. Przybelski, M. L. Senjem, S. D. Weigand, R. J. Ivnik, R. Roberts, Y. E. Geda, B. F. Boeve, D. S. Knopman, R. C. Petersen, C. R. Jack

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: To determine the relationship between proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) metabolites and β-amyloid (Aβ) load and the effects of Aβ load on the association between 1H MRS metabolites and cognitive function in cognitively normal older adults. Methods: We studied 311 cognitively normal older adults who participated in the populationbased Mayo Clinic Study of Aging from January 2009 through September 2010. Participants underwent 11C-Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) PET, 1H MRS from the posterior cingulate gyri, and neuropsychometric testing to assess memory, attention/executive, language, and visual-spatial domain functions within 6 months. Partial Spearman rank order correlations were adjusted for age, sex, and education. Results: Higher PiB retention was associated with abnormal elevations in myoinositol (mI)/creatine (Cr) (partial rs = 0.17; p = 0.003) and choline (Cho)/Cr (partial rs = 0.13; p = 0.022) ratios. Higher Cho/Cr was associated with worse performance on Auditory Verbal Learning Test Delayed Recall (partial rs = -0.12; p = 0.04), Trail Making Test Part B (partial rs = 0.12; p = 0.04), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) Digit Symbol (partial r s = -0.18; p < 0.01), and WAIS-R Block Design (partial r s=-0.12; p = 0.03). Associations between 1H MRS metabolites and cognitive function were not different among participants with high vs low PiB retention. Conclusion: In cognitively normal older adults, the 1H MRS metabolite ratios mI/Cr and Cho/Cr are associated with the preclinical pathologic processes in the Alzheimer disease cascade. Higher Cho/Cr is associated with worse performance on domain-specific cognitive tests independent of Aβ load, suggesting that Cho/Cr elevation may also be dependent on other preclinical dementia pathologies characterized by Cho/Cr elevation such as Lewy body or ischemic vascular disease in addition to Aβ load.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)951-958
Number of pages8
JournalNeurology
Volume77
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 6 2011

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Neurology

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