Canavan disease is caused by mutations in the gene encoding aspartoacylase (ASPA), a deacetylase that catabolizes N-acetylaspartate (NAA). The precise involvement of elevated NAA in the pathogenesis of Canavan disease is an ongoing debate. In the present study, we tested the effects of elevated NAA in the brain during postnatal development. Mice were administered high doses of the hydrophobic m...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The perceived safety of the recreational drug methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), or Ecstasy, conflicts with animal evidence indicating that MDMA damages cortical serotonin (5-HT) neurons at doses similar to those used by humans. Few data are available about the effects of MDMA on the human brain. This study was designed to evaluate MDMA-related alterations in metabolit...

Background: Imbalances in cellular energy homeostasis can lead to diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. The heart, which has to contract incessantly, is very sensitive to nutritional changes and requires optimal energy to fuel adjustment [1]. N-acetylaspartate (NAA) is one of the most abundant metabolites in brain [2] with yet unknown function. NAA is synthesized ...

Background: Imbalances in cellular energy homeostasis can lead to diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. The heart, which has to contract incessantly, is very sensitive to nutritional changes and requires optimal energy to fuel adjustment [1]. N-acetylaspartate (NAA) is one of the most abundant metabolites in brain [2] with yet unknown function. NAA is synthesized ...

To compare metabolite ratios in the posterior cingulate with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) test scores in patients with mild or moderate Alzheimer disease and in controls. Methods We evaluated 29 patients with mild or moderate Alzheimer disease and 15 controls by proton spectroscopy with the voxel located in the posterior cingulate. The MMSE was applied to all patients and controls...

N-acetylaspartate (NAA) quantification by 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been commonly used to assess in vivo neuronal loss in neurodegenerative disorders. Here. the authors used ex vivo and in vivo 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy in rat and primate models of progressive striatal degeneration induced by the mitochondrial toxin 3-nitropropionate (3NP) to determine whether early NAA de...

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of growth regulator NAA on in vitro shoot proliferation, rooting, and plantlet establishment. Among the different concentrations of NAA, the best increase in shoot weight (0.25 g) and shoot number (8.83) were observed from 0.1 mg/I NAA. The highest shoot length (2.60 cm), number of leaves (4.83), number of roots (5.15), and root length (...

Reduced N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) levels have been reported in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in patients with schizophrenia using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. However, it is unclear whether this NAA reduction predates the illness onset and is reported in subjects at-risk for developing schizophrenia (HRS). The aim of this study was to assess NAA levels in the PFC in HRS. We hypothesized...

PURPOSE A broad spectrum of diseases can manifest cerebellar ataxia. In this study, we investigated whether proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) may help differentiate spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) from multiple systemic atrophy- cerebellar type (MSA-C). MATERIAL AND METHODS This prospective study recruited 156 patients with ataxia, including spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) types 1, 2, 3...