Abstract #0380

Documentation of Anti-glutamatergic Effect of N-Acetylcysteine Treatment with 1H MRS Monitoring of Cortical Glutathione and Glutamate In Vivo

Dikoma C. Shungu¹, Xiangling Mao¹, Michelle Blate², Diana Vu², Guoxin Kang¹, Halinder S. Mangat³, Claire Henchcliffe³, Bejamin Natelson², and Nora Weiduschat¹

¹Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States, ²Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States, ³Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States

N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a glutathione (GSH) synthesis precursor, is thought to have anti-glutamatergic properties for which direct in vivo evidence is lacking. In this study, the postulated anti-glutamatergic properties of NAC were investigated by using ¹H MRS to monitor changes in brain levels of both GSH and glutamate (Glu) in response to 4 weeks of NAC supplementation in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and healthy volunteers (HV). Following NAC treatment, GSH levels increased significantly in CFS and numerically in HV, while Glu decreased significantly in both groups compared to baseline – a finding that supports NAC as an anti-glutamatergic agent.

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