OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to examine N-acetylaspartate (NAA), a general marker of neuronal viability, and total NAA (tNAA), the combined signal of NAA and N-acetylaspartylglutamate, in bipolar depression before and after lamotrigine treatment. Given that NAA is synthesized through direct acetylation of aspartate by acetyl-coenzyme A-l-aspartate-N-acetyltransferase, we hypothes...

Aerobic exercise is a promising form of prevention for cognitive decline; however, little is known about the molecular mechanisms by which exercise and fitness impacts the human brain. Several studies have postulated that increased regional brain volume and function are associated with aerobic fitness because of increased vascularization rather than increased neural tissue per se. We tested thi...

OBJECTIVES Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is a reversible cause of heart failure rarely described in African-American patients. This study aimed to compare and contrast the clinical characteristics of TTS in African-American (AA) and non-African-American (NAA) patients. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the charts of eight patients (four AA and four NAA) diagnosed with TTS, between June 2006 and ...

N-Acetylaspartic acid (NAA) occurs at relatively high concentrations exclusively in the mammalian and avian brain and undergoes rapid rise in level soon after birth (Tallan, 1957). The amount of NAA in brains of mentally abnormal human beings and of young human beings was measured. The route by which NAA is synthesized was shown to involve a direct acetylation of aspartic acid. The degradative ...

N-Acetyl-aspartate (NAA) is almost exclusively localized in neurons in the mature brain and might be used as a neuronal marker. It has been reported that the NAA content in human brain is decreased in neurodegenerative diseases and in stroke. Since the NAA content can be determined by nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, it has potential as a diagnostic and prognostic marker. The objective of...

Natural autoantibodies (NAA) and their associated B cells constitute a substantial proportion of the normal Ab and B cell repertoire. They often have weak reactivity toward a variety of self-Ags such as DNA, nucleoproteins, and phospholipids. It remains controversial whether NAA contribute to or protect from autoimmune diseases. Using site-directed transgenic (sd-tg) mice expressing a prototypi...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy for detection and monitoring of upper motoneuron degeneration in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. METHODS Seventy patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis according to the El Escorial criteria were compared with 48 healthy control subjects. Single-volume proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (echo time, 272 milliseco...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE One former study reported higher prefrontal N-acetylaspartate (NAA) levels in patients with Asperger syndrome (AS). The objective of the current study was to test the hypothesis that patients with AS would have higher dorsolateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex NAA/creatine (Cr) and that NAA/Cr would be correlated with symptom severity. MATERIALS AND METHODS N...