Possible Neuroprotective Effects of <span style="font-variant: small-caps">l</span>-Carnitine on White-Matter Microstructural Damage and Cognitive Decline in Hemodialysis Patients

• Main Authors: Yuji Ueno, Asami Saito, Junichiro Nakata, Koji Kamagata, Daisuke Taniguchi, Yumiko Motoi, Hiroaki Io, Christina Andica, Atsuhiko Shindo, Kenta Shiina, Nobukazu Miyamoto, Kazuo Yamashiro, Takao Urabe, Yusuke Suzuki, Shigeki Aoki, Nobutaka Hattori
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Nutrients
• Subjects: <span style="font-variant: small-caps">l</span>-carnitine; hemodialysis; vascular dementia; diffusion tensor imaging; diffusion kurtosis imaging; neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/4/1292

Although <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">l</span>-carnitine alleviated white-matter lesions in an experimental study, the treatment effects of <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">l</span>-carnitine on white-matter microstructural damage and cognitive decline in hemodialysis patients are unknown. Using novel diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) techniques, white-matter microstructural changes together with cognitive decline in hemodialysis patients and the effects of <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">l</span>-carnitine on such disorders were investigated. Fourteen hemodialysis patients underwent dMRI and laboratory and neuropsychological tests, which were compared across seven patients each in two groups according to duration of <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">l</span>-carnitine treatment: (1) no or short-term <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">l</span>-carnitine treatment (NSTLC), and (2) long-term <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">l</span>-carnitine treatment (LTLC). Ten age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled. Compared to controls, microstructural disorders of white matter were widely detected on dMRI of patients. An autopsy study of one patient in the NSTLC group showed rarefaction of myelinated fibers in white matter. With LTLC, microstructural damage on dMRI was alleviated along with lower levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and substantial increases in carnitine levels. The LTLC group showed better achievement on trail making test A, which was correlated with amelioration of disorders in some white-matter tracts. Novel dMRI tractography detected abnormalities of white-matter tracts after hemodialysis. Long-term treatment with <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">l</span>-carnitine might alleviate white-matter microstructural damage and cognitive impairment in hemodialysis patients.