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Metabolic heterogeneity of the normal human brain: multivariate analysis of 1H MRS in vivo spectra acquired at 3T

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Abstract

Introduction

In recent years multivariate projection techniques of data analysis (PCA, PLS-DA) have been increasingly used for detection of complex 1H MRS derived metabolic signatures in pathologic conditions. However, these techniques have not been applied in the studies of metabolic heterogeneity of the normal human brain.

Objective

In this work we extended current knowledge about regional distribution of metabolites by multivariate analysis of metabolite levels obtained from various cortical and subcortical regions.

Methods

The studied group consisted of 71 volunteers with no neurological disorders. The metabolite levels obtained from short echo time 1H MRS in vivo spectra were subjected to univariate and multivariate analysis.

Results

The major variance direction in the dataset was dominated by glutamine + glutamate, creatine, myo-inositol and was successful in differentiation of the cortical grey matter and cerebellar vermis from the cortical white matter, pons, basal ganglia, hippocampus and thalamus. The projection plane formed by the second and third variance directions was dominated by N-acetylaspartate + N-acetylaspartylglutamate, choline and glutamine + glutamate variation not explained by the first direction. This plane revealed a huge metabolic contrast between the pons and basal ganglia, differentiation between the cortical grey matter regions and cerebellar vermis as well as biochemical heterogeneity between the regions such as: thalamus, basal ganglia and hippocampus.

Conclusion

Multivariate approach to 1H MRS data analysis provides an insight into the normal brain biochemistry and is helpful in understanding the regional heterogeneity of the normal brain. Such knowledge is crucial for a proper interpretation of altered metabolic pathways in diseases.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Nia Goulden and Dr. Paul Mullins (Bangor University, United Kingdom) for making Partial Volume Correction Tool available for use in this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Physics, Maria Skłodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch, Wybrzeże Armii Krajowej 15, 44-101, Gliwice, Poland

    Agnieszka Skorupa, Łukasz Boguszewicz, Marek Kijonka & Maria Sokół

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  1. Agnieszka Skorupa
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  2. Łukasz Boguszewicz
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  4. Maria Sokół
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Correspondence to Agnieszka Skorupa.

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Agnieszka Skorupa, Łukasz Boguszewicz, Marek Kijonka, Maria Sokół declare no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Skorupa, A., Boguszewicz, Ł., Kijonka, M. et al. Metabolic heterogeneity of the normal human brain: multivariate analysis of 1H MRS in vivo spectra acquired at 3T. Metabolomics 13, 34 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-017-1171-5

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