{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T10:15:11Z","timestamp":1774952111127,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"IMR Press","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,23]],"date-time":"2026-03-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774224000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Deanship of Scientific Research at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, through the Research Groups Program","award":["RGP-1444-0062"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RGP-1444-0062"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J. Integr. Neurosci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Emotional variability in healthy individuals may reflect underlying neurochemical processes relevant to mental health. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) enables in vivo quantification of metabolites linked to neuronal integrity and glial activity, yet data on nonclinical Middle Eastern populations remain scarce. Methods: Eighty-four healthy young women from Saudi Arabia underwent 3T 1H-MRS of the basal ganglia. Metabolite ratios ((N-acetylaspartate\/Creatine (NAA\/Cr), Choline\/Creatine (Cho\/Cr), Myo-Inositol\/ Creatine (Myo-In\/Cr), Glutamate\/Creatine (Glx\/Cr)) were quantified using LCModel. Mood and anxiety were assessed with validated self-reported scales. Correlation and regression analyses examined associations between metabolite ratios and emotional scores. Results: Higher Cho\/Cr and Myo-In\/Cr ratios correlated positively with mood (r = 0.35, p &lt; 0.001; r = 0.29, p = 0.004) and anxiety (r = 0.32, p = 0.002; r = 0.27, p = 0.009). NAA\/Cr showed small negative associations, while Glx\/Cr was nonsignificant. Regression confirmed Cho\/Cr and Myo-In\/Cr as significant predictors of both mood and anxiety, explaining up to 31% of variance. Conclusion: Basal ganglia metabolite ratios, particularly Cho\/Cr and Myo-In\/Cr, are associated with affective variability in healthy young women. These findings underscore the potential of 1H-MRS neurochemical profiles as early indicators of emotional vulnerability, supporting integration into precision mental health frameworks for preventive care.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.31083\/jin48380","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T09:35:19Z","timestamp":1774949719000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Neurochemical Correlates of Mood and Anxiety in Healthy Women: Basal Ganglia Profiling With 3T 1HMRS"],"prefix":"10.31083","volume":"25","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8478-971X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Halima","family":"Hawesa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, 11472 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mansour","family":"Alshanawani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, 11564 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Haya","family":"Alshegri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, 11564 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mahasin G.","family":"Hassan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, 11472 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Amal Ibrahim","family":"Alorainy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, 11472 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nouf Abdullah","family":"Alroqaiba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, 11472 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shanoo","family":"Sheikh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, 11472 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"16242","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Provencher SW. 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