OBJECTIVE There is increasing evidence that altered glutamate (Glu) homeostasis is involved in the pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo effects of excess brain Glu on neuroaxonal integrity measured by N-acetylaspartate (NAA), brain volume, and clinical outcomes in a large, prospectively followed cohort of MS subjects. METHODS We used mu...

The brain is unique among organs in many respects, including its mechanisms of lipid synthesis and energy production. The nervous system-specific metabolite N-acetylaspartate (NAA), which is synthesized from aspartate and acetyl-coenzyme A in neurons, appears to be a key link in these distinct biochemical features of CNS metabolism. During early postnatal central nervous system (CNS) developmen...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (1)H MR spectroscopy can be used to study biochemical changes occurring in the brain in stroke. We used it to examine the relationship between metabolite concentration (N-acetyl aspartate [NAA], lactate, cholines and creatines), size of infarct, clinical deficit, and 3-month clinical outcome in patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory infarction. METHODS Thi...

Aponogeton ulvaceus Baker (Aponogetonaceae) is a commercially important ornamental aquatic plant species with traditional medicinal uses. Due to the low survival rate of seedlings, propagation by conventional means has been met with many difficulties. In this study, botanical aspects of A. ulvaceus were examined with regards to the morphology, anatomy and physiology of the plant and an efficien...

In this study, we developed a method to improve the delineation of intrinsic brain tumors based on the changes in metabolism due to tumor infiltration. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging ((1)H-MRSI) with a nominal voxel size of 0.45 cm(3) was used to investigate the spatial distribution of choline-containing compounds (Cho), creatine (Cr) and N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) in brain tumor...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Theoretically, proton ((1)H) MR spectroscopy at a higher field strength has the advantages of higher signal-to-noise ratio and improved spectral resolution. We therefore compared the ability of single-voxel (1)H MR spectroscopy at 1.5 and 3 T to diagnostically discriminate among cognitively normal elderly subjects, patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and patien...

In vitro multiplication is an important tissue culture technique that capable of efficiently producing seedlings at any scale. It a propagation method based on the aseptic small propagules in suitable medium to enable plant regeneration. Multiplication experiments conducted set protocols adapted wild Manihot species have used modified mineral salts and MS vitamins as basic medium. Here, 25 trea...

Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) has become a standard of care following hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). After TH, body temperature is brought back to 37 °C over 14 h. Lactate/N-acetylasperatate (Lac/NAA) peak area ratio on proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) is the best available outcome biomarker following HIE. We hypothesized that broadband near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) ...

OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to examine N-acetylaspartate (NAA), a general marker of neuronal viability, and total NAA (tNAA), the combined signal of NAA and N-acetylaspartylglutamate, in bipolar depression before and after lamotrigine treatment. Given that NAA is synthesized through direct acetylation of aspartate by acetyl-coenzyme A-l-aspartate-N-acetyltransferase, we hypothes...

Aerobic exercise is a promising form of prevention for cognitive decline; however, little is known about the molecular mechanisms by which exercise and fitness impacts the human brain. Several studies have postulated that increased regional brain volume and function are associated with aerobic fitness because of increased vascularization rather than increased neural tissue per se. We tested thi...