Post-traumatic stress disorder affects fucose-α(1-2)-glycans in the human brain: preliminary findings of neuro deregulation using in vivo two-dimensional neuro MR spectroscopy

Scott Quadrelli; Nathan Tosh; Aaron Urquhart; Katie Trickey; Rosanna Tremewan; Graham Galloway; Lisa Rich; Rodney Lea; Peter Malycha; Carolyn Mountford

doi:10.1038/s41398-018-0365-6

Post-traumatic stress disorder affects fucose-α(1-2)-glycans in the human brain: preliminary findings of neuro deregulation using in vivo two-dimensional neuro MR spectroscopy

Transl Psychiatry. 2019 Jan 18;9(1):27. doi: 10.1038/s41398-018-0365-6.

Authors

Scott Quadrelli^{1

2

3

4}, Nathan Tosh^{1

3}, Aaron Urquhart¹, Katie Trickey¹, Rosanna Tremewan¹, Graham Galloway¹, Lisa Rich¹, Rodney Lea³, Peter Malycha¹, Carolyn Mountford^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4024, Australia.
² Center for MR in Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia.
³ Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia.
⁴ Radiology Department, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4024, Australia.
⁵ Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4024, Australia. Carolyn.Mountford@tri.edu.au.
⁶ Center for MR in Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia. Carolyn.Mountford@tri.edu.au.

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is triggered by experiencing terrifying event(s) for which there is currently no objective test for a definitive diagnosis. We report a pilot study where two-dimensional (2D) neuro magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), collected at 3 T in a clinical scanner with a 64-channel head coil, identifies neuro deregulation in the PTSD cohort. The control subjects (n = 10) were compared with PTSD participants with minimal co-morbidities (n = 10). The 2D MRS identified statistically significant increases in the total spectral region containing both free substrate fucose and fucosylated glycans of 31% (P = 0.0013), two of multiple fucosylated glycans (Fuc IV and VI) were elevated by 48% (P = 0.002), and 41% (P = 0.02), respectively, imidazole was increased by 12% (P = 0.002), and lipid saturation was increased by 12.5% (P = 0.009). This is the first evidence of fucosylated glycans, reported in animals to be involved in learning and memory, to be affected in humans with PTSD.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Adult
Brain / diagnostic imaging*
Case-Control Studies
Cohort Studies
Female
Fucose / metabolism*
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / methods*
Male
Middle Aged
Pilot Projects
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / metabolism*

Substances

Fucose