Trina Kok1, Bernice Oh2, Fatima Nasrallah1, Mary Stephenson1, Chin-Ian Tay Tony2, Edwynn Kean-Hui Chiew2, Johnson Fam2, and Allen Eng-Juh Yeoh2
Dexamethasone (DEX) is commonly used at varying dosages
to treat a range of diseases such as altitude sickness and leukemia. Current reports
of neuropsychiatric and cognitive effects after DEX administration lack
determination of the pathophysiological mechanism of such effects. This work
aims to investigate the neurotoxic effects of DEX in healthy subjects by
collecting MR structural and 1H spectroscopy data. Analysis showed a
significant reduction in brain volume structures and hippocampal GABA/water (p < 0.02)
ratio from start to end of DEX administration, which is recovered after a
washout period.
