Brain Chemicals Differ in Types 1, 2 Myotonic Dystrophy

When researchers at Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg, Germany, performed magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) imaging studies on the brains of 14 people with type 1 myotonic dystrophy (MMD1) and 15 people with type 2 myotonic dystrophy (MMD2), they found similar structural abnormalities but dissimilar levels of some metabolic compounds.

Only MMD1 patients showed depletion of brain creatine and choline, while both groups showed significantly reduced levels of brain N-acetylaspartate, compared to those of unaffected study participants.

The researchers, who published their findings online April 26 in Muscle & Nerve, conclude that the two forms of MMD differ in their nerve cell abnormalities.