Intraerythrocytic water relaxation rates in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. An NMR investigation

Abstract Water relaxation rates 1/T 2 in erythrocytes from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients were studied by NMR. The spin-spin relaxation time of water protons in erythrocyte suspension was measured in the presence of a paramagnetic reagent which did not enter the cell. Our results show that red blood cell membranes exhibit a diminished water permeability in some ALS patients. Moreover, the activation energy value of water is lower in ALS patients than in healthy controls.