Metabolic changes in rat brain after prolonged ethanol consumption measured by H-1 and P-31 MRS experiments

1. In vivo H-1 and P-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy techniques were app lied to reveal biochemical changes in the rat brain caused by prolonged eth anol consumption. 2. Three models of ethanol intoxication were used. 3. H-1 MRS showed a significant decrease in the concentration of myo-inosit ol in the brain of rats fed with 20% ethanol for 8 weeks. This change is co nsistent with perturbances in astrocytes. On the other hand, N-acetyl aspar tate and choline content did not differ from controls. 4. P-31 MRS did not reveal any significant changes in the high-energy phosp hates or intracellular free Mg2+ content in the brain of rats after 14 week s of 20% ethanol drinking. The intracellular pH was diminished. 5. By means of a P-31 saturation transfer technique, a significant decrease was observed for the pseudo first-order rate constant k(for) of the creati ne kinase reaction in the brain of rats administered 30% ethanol for 3 week s using a gastric tube. 6. The H-1 MRS results may indicate that myo-inositol loss, reflecting a di sorder in astrocytes, might be one of the first changes associated with alc oholism, which could be detected in the brain by means of in vivo H-1 MRS. 7. The results from P-31 MRS experiments suggest that alcoholism is associa ted with decreased brain energy metabolism. 8. P-31 Saturation transfer, which provides insight into the turnover of hi gh-energy phosphates, could be a more suitable technique for studying the b rain energetics in chronic pathological states than conventional P-31 MRS.