Cerebral white matter blood flow and energy metabolism in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral blood flow (CBF) is reduced in normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) of subjects with multiple sclerosis (MS), but the underlying mechanism is unknown. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to assess the relationship between reduced NAWM CBF and both axonal mitochondrial metabolism and astrocytic phosphocreatine (PCr) metabolism. METHODS: Ten healthy controls and 25 MS subjects were studied with 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging. CBF was measured using pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling. N-acetylaspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr) ratios (axonal mitochondrial metabolism) were obtained using (1)H-MR spectroscopy and PCr/ß-ATP ratios using (31)P-MR spectroscopy. In centrum semiovale NAWM, we assessed correlations between CBF and both NAA/Cr and PCr/ß-ATP ratios. RESULTS: Subjects with MS had a widespread reduction in CBF of NAWM (centrum semiovale, periventricular, frontal and occipital), and gray matter (frontoparietal cortex and thalamus). Compared to controls, NAA/Cr in NAWM of the centrum semiovale of MS subjects was decreased, whereas PCr/ß-ATP was increased. We found no correlations between CBF and PCr/ß-ATP. CBF and NAA/Cr correlated in controls (p = 0.02), but not in MS subjects (p = 0.68). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that in MS patients there is no relationship between reduced CBF in NAWM and impaired axonal mitochondrial metabolism or astrocytic PCr metabolism.

Reduced creatine kinase B activity in multiple sclerosis normal appearing white matter.

BACKGROUND: Two studies using (31)P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) reported enhanced phosphocreatine (PCr) levels in normal appearing white matter (NAWM) of subjects with multiple sclerosis (MS), but this finding could not be properly explained. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed (31)P-MRS and (1)H-MRS in the NAWM in 36 subjects, including 17 with progressive MS, 9 with benign MS, and 10 healthy controls. Compared to controls, PCr/beta-ATP and PCr/total (31)P ratios were significantly increased in subjects with progressive MS, but not with benign MS. There was no correlation between PCr ratios and the N-acetylaspartate/creatine ratio, suggesting that elevated PCr levels in NAWM were not secondary to axonal loss. In the central nervous system, PCr is degraded by creatine kinase B (CK-B), which in the white matter is confined to astrocytes. In homogenates of NAWM from 10 subjects with progressive MS and 10 controls without central nervous system disease, we measured CK-B levels with an ELISA, and measured its activity with an enzymatic assay kit. Compared to controls, both CK-B levels and activity were decreased in subjects with MS (22.41 versus 46.28 microg/ml; p = 0.0007, and 2.89 versus 7.76 U/l; p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest that PCr metabolism in the NAWM in MS is impaired due to decreased CK-B levels. Our findings raise the possibility that a defective PCr metabolism in astrocytes might contribute to the degeneration of oligodendrocytes and axons in MS.

Hypoperfusion of the cerebral white matter in multiple sclerosis: possible mechanisms and pathophysiological significance.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system characterized by patchy areas of demyelination, inflammation, axonal loss and gliosis, and a diffuse axonal degeneration throughout the so-called normal-appearing white matter (NAWM). A number of recent studies using perfusion magnetic resonance imaging in both relapsing and progressive forms of MS have shown a decreased perfusion of the NAWM, which does not appear to be secondary to axonal loss. The reduced perfusion of the NAWM in MS might be caused by a widespread astrocyte dysfunction, possibly related to a deficiency in astrocytic beta(2)-adrenergic receptors and a reduced formation of cAMP, resulting in a reduced uptake of K(+) at the nodes of Ranvier and a reduced release of K(+) in the perivascular spaces. Pathologic and imaging studies suggest that ischemic changes might be involved in the development of a subtype of focal demyelinating lesions (type III lesions), and there appears to exist a relationship between decreased white matter perfusion and cognitive dysfunction in patients with MS.