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Doose A, Tam FI, Hellerhoff I, King JA, Boehm I, Gottloeber K, Wahl H, Werner A, Raschke F, Bartnik-Olson B, Lin AP, Akgün K, Roessner V, Linn J, Ehrlich S. Triangulating brain alterations in anorexia nervosa: a multimodal investigation of magnetic resonance spectroscopy, morphometry and blood-based biomarkers. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:277. [PMID: 37573444 PMCID: PMC10423271 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02580-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The acute state of anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with widespread reductions in cortical gray matter (GM) thickness and white matter (WM) volume, suspected changes in myelin content and elevated levels of the neuronal damage marker neurofilament light (NF-L), but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. To gain a deeper understanding of brain changes in AN, we applied a multimodal approach combining advanced neuroimaging methods with analysis of blood-derived biomarkers. In addition to standard measures of cortical GM thickness and WM volume, we analyzed tissue-specific profiles of brain metabolites using multivoxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, T1 relaxation time as a proxy of myelin content leveraging advanced quantitative MRI methods and serum NF-L concentrations in a sample of 30 female, predominately adolescent patients with AN and 30 age-matched female healthy control participants. In patients with AN, we found a reduction in GM cortical thickness and GM total N-acetyl aspartate. The latter predicted higher NF-L levels, which were elevated in AN. Furthermore, GM total choline was elevated. In WM, there were no group differences in either imaging markers, choline levels or N-acetyl aspartate levels. The current study provides evidence for neuronal damage processes as well as for increased membrane lipid catabolism and turnover in GM in acute AN but no evidence for WM pathology. Our results illustrate the potential of multimodal research including tissue-specific proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy analyses to shed light on brain changes in psychiatric and neurological conditions, which may ultimately lead to better treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Doose
- Translational Developmental Neuroscience Section, Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Friederike I Tam
- Translational Developmental Neuroscience Section, Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Eating Disorder Research and Treatment Center, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Inger Hellerhoff
- Translational Developmental Neuroscience Section, Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Joseph A King
- Translational Developmental Neuroscience Section, Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Ilka Boehm
- Translational Developmental Neuroscience Section, Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Kim Gottloeber
- Translational Developmental Neuroscience Section, Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Hannes Wahl
- Department of Neuroradiology, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Annett Werner
- Department of Neuroradiology, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Felix Raschke
- OncoRay - National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
| | - Brenda Bartnik-Olson
- Department of Radiology, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA, USA
| | - Alexander P Lin
- Center for Clinical Spectroscopy, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Katja Akgün
- Center of Clinical Neuroscience, Neurological Clinic, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Veit Roessner
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jennifer Linn
- Department of Neuroradiology, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Stefan Ehrlich
- Translational Developmental Neuroscience Section, Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
- Eating Disorder Research and Treatment Center, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
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