Spectroscopy in Early-Onset Multiple Sclerosis

K.K. Oguz A. Kurne A.O. Aksu E. Karabulut A. Serdaroglu S. Teber S. Haspolat N. Senbil S. Kurul B. Anlar BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Myelin instability and citrullinated myelin basic protein have been demonstrated in the brains of patients with chronic and fulminating forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Our aim was to trace citrulline in the brains of patients with early-onset MS by using proton MR spectroscopy (H-MR spectroscopy). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A short-echo single-voxel H-MR spectroscopy by using the point-resolved proton spectroscopy sequence was performed in 27 patients with MS and 23 healthy subjects. Voxels of interest were chronic demyelinating lesions (CDLs, n 25) and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM, n 25) on T2-weighted imaging, and when available in patients with MS, enhancing demyelinating lesions (EDLs, n 8). Frontal white matter (WM) was studied in control subjects. N-acetylaspartate, choline, and myo-inositol (mIns)-creatine (Cr) ratios and the presence of a citrulline peak were noted.