NAWM metabolite concentrations in healthy controls and patients presenting with CIS and definite MS*
| NAWM Metabolites | Healthy Controls (n = 20) | CIS (n = 36) | MS (n = 12) |
|---|---|---|---|
| tNAA [mM] | 14.51 (±1.42) | 13.42 (±1.46) | 12.77 (±1.57) |
| P = .02 | P = .008 | ||
| mIns [mM] | 3.75 (±0.70) | 4.04 (±0.91) | 4.56 (±0.97) |
| P = .44 | P = .02 | ||
| Cho [mM] | 2.07 (±0.40) | 2.16 (±0.39) | 2.17 (±0.31) |
| P = .31 | P = .32 | ||
| tCr [mM] | 6.99 (±0.85) | 7.34 (±1.19) | 7.37 (±0.98) |
| P = .35 | P = .32 | ||
| tNAA/Cho | 2.58 (±0.45) | 2.30 (±0.41) | 2.13 (±0.32) |
| P = .04 | P = .003 | ||
| tNAA/tCr | 2.81 (±0.29) | 2.55 (±0.33) | 2.48 (±0.33) |
| P = .01 | P = .003 | ||
| mIns/tCr | 0.54 (±0.09) | 0.55 (±0.12) | 0.64 (±0.13) |
| P = .74 | P = .02 | ||
| mIns/tNAA | 0.25 (±0.04) | 0.29 (±0.08) | 0.34 (±0.07) |
| P = .16 | P = .001 | ||
| Cho/tCr | 1.11 (±0.16) | 1.13 (±0.15) | 1.17 (±0.12) |
| P = .69 | P = .15 | ||
| Glx/tCr | 1.51 (±0.37) | 1.31 (±0.23) | 1.19 (±0.29) |
| P = .03 | P = .02 |
Note:—NAWM indicates normal-appearing white matter; CIS, clinically isolated syndromes; MS, multiple sclerosis; tNAA, summation of N-acetylaspartate and N-acetylaspartyl glutamate; mIns, myo-inositol; Cho, choline; tCr, summation of creatine and phosphocreatine; Glx, summation of glutamate and glutamine.
* Data are mean values (± SD). P values were obtained by the Mann-Whitney U test and represent relative comparisons between the control group and the patient groups (CIS, MS). All results printed in bold are significantly different (P < .05) when compared with the control group.