Published online Dec 9, 2023. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v12.i5.310
Peer-review started: July 17, 2023
First decision: August 31, 2023
Revised: September 18, 2023
Accepted: September 28, 2023
Article in press: September 28, 2023
Published online: December 9, 2023
Down syndrome (DS) is one of the most common causes of intellectual disability. Children with DS have varying intelligence quotient (IQ) that can predict their learning abilities.
To assess the brain metabolic profiles of children with DS and compare them to standard controls, using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and correlating the results with IQ.
This case-control study included 40 children with DS aged 6-15 years and 40 age and sex-matched healthy children as controls. MRS was used to evaluate ratios of choline/creatine (Cho/Cr), N-acetyl aspartic acid/creatine (NAA/Cr), and myoinositol/creatine (MI/Cr (in the frontal, temporal, and occipital lobes and basal ganglia and compared to controls and correlated with IQ.
Children with DS showed significant reductions in NAA/Cr and MI/Cr and a non-significant reduction in Cho/Cr in frontal lobes compared to controls. Additionally, we observed significant decreases in NAA/Cr, MI/Cr, and Cho/Cr in the temporal and occipital lobes and basal ganglia in children with DS compared to controls. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between IQ and metabolic ratios in the brains of children with DS.
Brain metabolic profile could be a good predictor of IQ in children with DS.
Core Tip: This study compared the brain metabolic profiles of children with Down syndrome (DS) using magnetic resonance spectroscopy to healthy controls. The results showed significant reductions in specific metabolic ratios (N-acetyl aspartic acid/creatine and myoinositol/creatine) in the frontal lobes of children with DS compared to controls, as well as decreases in these ratios in the temporal and occipital lobes and basal ganglia. The study also found a significant correlation between intelligence quotient (IQ) and metabolic ratios in children with DS. These findings suggest that brain metabolic profiling could be a valuable predictor of IQ in children with DS.