The impact of spectral basis set composition on estimated levels of cingulate glutamate and its associations with different personality traits

Verena F. Demler, Elisabeth F. Sterner, Martin Wilson, Claus Zimmer, Franziska Knolle*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

Background: 1H-MRS is increasingly used in basic and clinical research to explain brain function and alterations respectively. In psychosis research it is now one of the main tools to investigate imbalances in the glutamatergic system. Interestingly, however, the findings are extremely variable even within patients of similar disease states. One reason may be the variability in analysis strategies, despite suggestions for standardization. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the extent to which the basis set configuration– which metabolites are included in the basis set used for analysis– would affect the spectral fit and estimated glutamate (Glu) concentrations in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and whether any changes in levels of glutamate would be associated with psychotic-like experiences and autistic traits.

Methods: To ensure comparability, we utilized five different exemplar basis sets, used in research, and two different analysis tools, r-based spant applying the ABfit method and Osprey using the LCModel.

Results: Our findings revealed that the types of metabolites included in the basis set significantly affected the glutamate concentration. We observed that three basis sets led to more consistent results across different concentration types (i.e., absolute Glu in mol/kg, Glx (glutamate + glutamine), Glu/tCr), spectral fit and quality measurements. Interestingly, all three basis sets included phosphocreatine. Importantly, our findings also revealed that glutamate levels were differently associated with both schizotypal and autistic traits depending on basis set configuration and analysis tool, with the same three basis sets showing more consistent results.

Conclusions: Our study highlights that scientific results may be significantly altered depending on the choices of metabolites included in the basis set, and with that emphasizes the importance of carefully selecting the configuration of the basis set to ensure accurate and consistent results, when using MR spectroscopy. Overall, our study points out the need for standardized analysis pipelines and reporting.
Original languageEnglish
Article number320
Number of pages14
JournalBMC Psychiatry
Volume24
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 Apr 2024

Keywords

  • autism/autistic traits
  • Psychotic-like experiences
  • Spant
  • LCModel
  • Anterior cingulate cortex
  • MRS
  • Glutamate

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