Da Shi1,2, Su Xu1,2, Steven Roys1,2,
Rao Gullapalli1,2, Mary Cathrine McKenna3
1Core for Translational
Research in Imaging @ University of Maryland, University of Maryland School
of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; 2Diagnostic Radiology
& Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore,
MD, United States; 3Department of Pediatrics, University of
Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
Fragile-X syndrome is the most common form of mental retardation caused by silencing of the Fmr1 gene. There are studies detailing the molecular mechanisms of this disease, however there are only few publications using 1H MRS in patients. We use in vivo 1H MRS to measure metabolites in the hippocampus of the developing fmr1 knockout mouse compared to the wild type. We found increase in glutamate in the fmr1 knockout mouse in the hippocampus during myelingenesis which could indicate an increase in synapse excitability. In vivo 1H MRS is a novel technique for the longitudinal study of fmr1 knockout mouse.
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