Sex Specific metabolism of Branched Chain Amino Acids and Relation with Cerebral Glutamate in Alzheimer’s Disease: A 1H-MRS Study

Motivation: Amyloid-β and NFTs are considered hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) though are often challenged. While branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are known to play role in AD pathogenesis, their role is underexplored. A non-invasive method to study this relation could benefit devising alternate strategies for early AD diagnosis. Goal(s): To monitor sex-specific changes in BCAA levels and its relationship with glutamate. Approach: Localized-1H-MRS was performed in AD and WT mice. Results: Significant reduction in hippocampal BCAA and glutamate levels in male AD mice were observed, while females remained unaffected. BCAA and glutamate levels shown a strong correlation suggesting their close association in AD. Impact: Establishing a relation between BCAA metabolism and AD pathology could be beneficial for preclinical diagnosis as clear resonances of BCAA around 0.9 ppm on 1H MR spectra is achievable even at lower field strength MRI scanners.