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In vivo functional neurochemistry of human cortical cholinergic function during visuospatial attention

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  • Michael Lindner
  • Tiffany Bell
  • Somya Iqbal
  • Paul Gerald Mullins
  • Anastasia Christakou

Abstract

Cortical acetylcholine is involved in key cognitive processes such as visuospatial attention. Dysfunction in the cholinergic system has been described in a number of neuropsychiatric disorders. Levels of brain acetylcholine can be pharmacologically manipulated, but it is not possible to directly measure it in vivo in humans. However, key parts of its biochemical cascade in neural tissue, such as choline, can be measured using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). There is evidence that levels of choline may be an indirect but proportional measure of acetylcholine availability in brain tissue. In this study, we measured relative choline levels in the parietal cortex using functional (event-related) MRS (fMRS) during performance of a visuospatial attention task, with a modelling approach verified using simulated data. We describe a task-driven interaction effect on choline concentration, specifically driven by contralateral attention shifts. Our results suggest that choline MRS has the potential to serve as a proxy of brain acetylcholine function in humans.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Lindner & Tiffany Bell & Somya Iqbal & Paul Gerald Mullins & Anastasia Christakou, 2017. "In vivo functional neurochemistry of human cortical cholinergic function during visuospatial attention," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(2), pages 1-16, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0171338
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171338
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