Psychiatry research
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Psychiatry research · Jun 2003
Multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of high-energy phosphate metabolites in human brain following oral supplementation of creatine-monohydrate.
Alterations in brain high-energy phosphate metabolism, determined by in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), have been reported in subjects with a number of brain disorders including major depression, schizophrenia, and substance abuse. It is not clear to what extent these changes can be modified by pharmacological or nutritional means. To address this possibility, we evaluated changes in brain chemistry that were associated with oral creatine (Cr) administration. ⋯ In addition, the brain inorganic phosphate level increased over the same period in the creatine group (9.8%). The current study is the first multinuclear (1H and 31P) MRS study to evaluate changes in brain high-energy phosphate metabolism following oral creatine supplementation in healthy human subjects. These findings suggest the possibility of using oral creatine supplementation to modify brain high-energy phosphate metabolism in subjects with various brain disorders, including major depression, schizophrenia, cocaine and opiate abuse, where alterations in brain high-energy phosphate metabolism have been reported.