Brain/drug effects; Cerebrovascular Circulation/drug effects; Hepatic Encephalopathy/diagnostic imaging; Isoleucine/pharmacology; Leucine/pharmacology; Aged; Brain/diagnostic imaging; Brain/physiopathology; Cerebrovascular Circulation/physiology; Double-Blind Method; Female; Hepatic Encephalopathy/physiopathology; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Tomography, Emission-Computed; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; Treatment Outcome

AC, arm circumference; APMT, adductor pollicis muscle thickness; BCAA, branched-chain amino acids; BCKA, branched-chain ketoacids; BMI, body mass index; Branched-chain amino acids; CAMA, corrected mid-arm muscle area; CBF, cerebral blood flow; Cerebral blood flow; EEG, electroencephalogram; FDR, false discovery rate; GDH, glutamate dehydrogenase; GLN, glutamine; GLU, glutamate; HE, hepatic encephalopathy; HGS, handgrip strength; HPLC, high-performance liquid chromatography; HRQoL, health-related quality of life; Hepatic encephalopathy; Liver cirrhosis; MAMC, mid-arm muscle circumference; MELD, Model of End-Stage Liver Disease; NH3, ammonia; PDH, pyruvate dehydrogenase complex; ROIs, regions of interest; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SF-36, 36-item Short-Form General Health Survey; SPECT, Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography; SPM12, Statistical Parametrical Mapping 12; TCA, tricarboxylic acid; TSF, triceps skinfold; α-KG, α-ketoglutarate; αKGDH, α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex