Poster Presentation 6
Metabolic Assessments of Migraine using 1H Spectroscopy
at Ultra-High Field
Nastaren Abad and Samuel C. Grant1, 2; Jens T. Rosenberg2; Michael G. Harrington3
1
Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, FAMU–FSU College of Engineering;
CIMAR, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee FL, USA
3
Neurosciences, Huntington Medical Research Institutes, Pasadena CA, USA
2
High-field MR spectroscopy provides the opportunity to interrogate metabolites dynamically and in vivo
during progression of neurological disorders, such as migraine, that have rapid onset but potentially longer
impacts. It thus follows that identification of specific metabolic changes, potentially influenced by excitatory
and inhibitory neurotransmitters, may improve understanding of onset and progression of migraine and open up
new avenues for therapy development. This study, therefore, evaluates biochemical and metabolic imbalances
that may result in a collection of dysfunctional pathways that are distinct in migraineurs. To enhance sensitivity
while reducing individual experiment acquisitions times, we utilized relaxation-enhanced MR spectroscopy
(RE-MRS) to analyze quantitative changes in brain metabolites during migraine progression. All scans were
performed using the 21.1-T, 900-MHz ultra-wide bore using a double tuned 23Na-1H birdcage coil at the
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL. After baseline scans, 17 anesthetized SpragueDawley male rats were administered in situ an intra-peritoneal injection of either nitroglycerine (NTG, N=11) to
induce migraine or saline (N=6) to serve as a control. A highly selective RE-MRS [1] sequence was utilized to
target upfield metabolites from a (4-mm)3 voxel, without water suppression. Total of 14 scans (10 min/scan)
were acquired from pre-injection to 2.5-h post injection.
Statistical significance is reported in Taurine, total Creatine and Lactate. Elevated levels of Glycine
are also reported. Alterations in total Creatine and Lactate levels with migraine are indicative of
anaerobic metabolism while Taurine increases show osmoregulatory action and dysfunction.
Figure 1. A) Representative 1D RE-MRS from in vivo rodent model (10-min acq). B) Signal intensities for induced migraine vs
control levels of Taurine, total Creatine and Lactate, normalized to the pre-injection values.
References
1. Shemesh N, Rosenberg JT, Dumez JN, Muniz JA, Grant SC, Frydman L. 2014. Metabolic properties in stroked rats revealed by
relaxation-enhanced magnetic resonance spectroscopy at ultrahigh fields. Nat Commun. 5: 4958.
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