Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Affects Fucose-Α(1–2)-glycans in the Human Brain: Preliminary Findings of Neuro Deregulation Using in Vivo Two-Dimensional Neuro MR Spectroscopy

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is triggered by experiencing terrifying event(s) for which there is currently no objective test for a definitive diagnosis. We report a pilot study where two-dimensional (2D) neuro magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), collected at 3 T in a clinical scanner with a 64-channel head coil, identifies neuro deregulation in the PTSD cohort. The control subjects ( n = 10) were compared with PTSD participants with minimal co-morbidities ( n = 10). The 2D MRS identified statistically significant increases in the total spectral region containing both free substrate fucose and fucosylated glycans of 31% ( P = 0.0013), two of multiple fucosylated glycans (Fuc IV and VI) were elevated by 48% ( P = 0.002), and 41% ( P = 0.02), respectively, imidazole was increased by 12% ( P = 0.002), and lipid saturation was increased by 12.5% ( P = 0.009). This is the first evidence of fucosylated glycans, reported in animals to be involved in learning and memory, to be affected in humans with PTSD.