Correlation of fractional anisotropy and metabolite concentrations measured using ¹H-MRS of cerebral white matter in healthy adults

Abstract

Fractional anisotropy (FA) is currently an ideal index capable of reflecting the white matter structure. ¹H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS) is often used as a noninvasive concentration measurement of important neurochemicals in vivo. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between FA and metabolite concentrations by comparing ¹H-MRS of bilateral medium corona radiata in healthy adults. The data of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and ¹H-MRS were acquired from 31 healthy adults using a 3.0 T MR system. All subjects were divided into three groups: the total group (mean age=42 years), the junior group (mean age=29 years) and the senior group (mean age=56 years). There was a negative correlation between FA and age in three groups (r=-0.146, r=-0.204, r=-0.162, p<0.05). The positive correlation of FA with corresponding concentrations of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) was significant in three groups (r=0.339, r=0.213, r=0.430, respectively, p<0.05). The positive correlation of FA with the corresponding NAA/Cr was only significant difference between the total 353 samples and the junior group (r=0.166, r=0.305, respectively, p<0.05). Combining ¹H-MRS with DTI reveals the relationship between structure and metabolic characteristics of white matter.