Abstract #2443

H-MRS Study of the Neurochemical Effects of Interferon-α Treatment in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

Matthew Taylor¹, Jamie Near², Philip Cowen¹

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom; ²FMRIB Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

A 1H-MRS study was performed to investigate the cortical neurochemistry of chronic hepatitis C and the effect of treatment with interferon-alpha. Short-TE MR spectra were performed in the posterior cingulate cortex of a group of patients with chronic hepatitis C and a group of healthy controls using the SPECIAL sequence. The patient group was scanned at two timepoints before treatment and 4-6 weeks following treatment with interferon alpha. Initial results indicate that patients with hepatitis C tend to have elevated choline and glutathione levels and reduced levels of phosphorylethanolamine. Treatment with interferon alpha tends to normalize these changes.