MRS in Early and Presymptomatic Carriers of a Novel Octapeptide Repeat Insertion in the Prion Protein Gene

To evaluate the proton magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy (¹H MRS) changes in carriers of a novel octapeptide repeat insertion in the prion protein gene (PRNP) and family history of frontotemporal dementia with ataxia. Four at-risk mutation carriers and 13 controls were compared using single voxel, short TE, ¹H MRS from the posterior cingulate gyrus. The mutation carriers had an increased choline/creatine, P= .003 and increased myoinositol/creatine ratio, P= .003. ¹H MRS identified differences in markers of glial activity and choline metabolism in pre- and early-symptomatic carriers of a novel PRNP gene octapeptide insertion. These findings expand the possible diagnostic utility of ¹H MRS in familial prion disorders.