1H MRS of cortical and subcortical structures in mild and severe neonatal hypoxia-ischemic cerebral injuries

Abstract

This study employed in vivo 1H MRS to understand the metabolic alterations in cortical and subcortical structures during the recovery period upon mild and severe hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injuries to the neonatal rat brains. Relative to the Cr peak, results showed a further increase in Cho, Glu and Lac in the left cortex of severe HI group than mild HI group at 3 days after HI injury at postnatal day 7. These values then decreased slightly at 7 days after surgery in both HI groups. Tau also increased on both sides of the cortex at Day 3 and then drop at Day 7 for both HI groups. In the left thalamus of the severe HI group, NAA appeared to decrease transiently at Day 3 and normalize at Day 7, whereas Cho, Glu, Lac and Tau levels apparently peaked at Day 3. The results of this study may help to investigate potential therapies and the recovery mechanisms upon different severity of neonatal HI insults.