| BackgroundAnxiety is one of the major forms psychotic disorders. The causes of anxiety are not well known. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), a noninvasive neuroimaging approach has been applied to investigate the etiology of anxiety. To identify the possible alterations of brain function in prefrontal lobe and hippocampus in anxiety there uses proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (~1H-MRS).Subjects and methodsA 1.5-T nuclear magnetic resonance machine was used to test 12 patients (age 19-56; average age ±SD, 38.4±13.1; 7 males, 5 females) and 10 comparison subjects (age 23-46 ; average age±SD, 30.3±6.5 ; 4 males,6 females).~1H-MRS was carried out using PRESS for spatial localization (repetition time = 1500 msec, echo time = 135 msec, repetition time = 1500 msec, average number = 192, acquire time =4min48sec). T2-weighted series were used to prescribe an 15-cm 3 voxel in prefrontal lobe andhippocampus. CHESS was used to provide maximum water suppression. The NAA, Cho and Cr were measured and ratios of NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr were determined. Spectral data were analyzed by using SPSS 11.0 software.ResultsThe NAA and NAA/Cr ratios in right prefrontal lobe in patients with anxiety were higher than those in normal controls (NAA: t=-2.638, P<0.01; NAA/Cr: t=-2.013,P<0.05) ; In left hippocampus, the Cho, NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr ratios in patients with anxiety were higher than that in controls (Cho: t=-2.506, P<0.05; NAA/Cr: t=-2.276, P<0.05; Cho/Cr: t=-3.069, P<0.01) .ConclusionsThe higher levers of NAA and NAA/Cr ratios in the right prefrontal lobe as the levers of Cho, NAA/Gr, Cho/Cr ratios in left hippocampus suggested asymmetric brain metabolic function in prefrontal lobe and hippocampus of anxiety patients. These results provide neurochemical evidence suggesting the involvement of the prefrontal lobe and hippocampus region in the pathogenesis of anxiety disorder. This study provides a new evidence to understand the neurobiological etiology of anxiety disorder.
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