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Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in School‐Aged Autistic Children
Author(s) -
Vasconcelos Marcio Moacyr,
Brito Adriana Rocha,
Domingues Romeu Cortes,
Da Cruz Luiz Celso Hygino,
Gasparetto Emerson L.,
Werner Jairo,
Gonçalves João Pedro Sevalho
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of neuroimaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1552-6569
pISSN - 1051-2284
DOI - 10.1111/j.1552-6569.2007.00200.x
Subject(s) - creatine , choline , medicine , anterior cingulate cortex , proton magnetic resonance , magnetic resonance imaging , inositol , autism , striatum , cerebellar hemisphere , nuclear medicine , cerebellum , nuclear magnetic resonance , psychiatry , radiology , physics , cognition , receptor , dopamine
PURPOSE This study aims to assess cerebral metabolites in school‐aged autistic patients through proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.METHODS This case‐control study included 10 right‐handed male children (median age, 9.53 years ± 1.80) with autism according to DSM‐IV criteria, and 10 healthy age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls (median age, 8.52 years ± 1.42). Imaging was performed on a 1.5‐T scanner utilizing a single voxel point‐resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) technique (TR = 1,500 ms, TE = 30 ms). Four cerebral areas were evaluated: bilateral anterior cingulate, left striatum, left cerebellar hemisphere, and left frontal lobe. Peak areas and ratios to creatine (Cr) of N‐acetylaspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), and myo ‐inositol (mI) were analyzed.RESULTS Compared with controls, autistic children showed a significant increase in mI ( P = .021) and Cho ( P = .042) peak areas in anterior cingulate and in mI/Cr ratio in anterior cingulate ( P = .037) and left striatum ( P = .035). The remaining metabolites and ratios were not significantly different between the 2 groups.CONCLUSIONS This study found a statistically significant increase in myo‐inositol and choline in anterior cingulate and left striatum of autistic children compared with controls. In contrast to previous studies, NAA peak area and NAA/Cr and NAA/Cho ratios had no statistically significant decrease in any of the 4brain regions.