Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in school-aged autistic children.
OBJECTIVE
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 4 brain regions.
Vasconcelos
Marcio Moacyr
MM
Departamento Materno-Infantil, Hospital Universitário Antônio Pedro, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. mmvascon@centroin.com.br
Brito
Adriana Rocha
AR
Domingues
Romeu Cortes
RC
da Cruz
Luiz Celso Hygino
LC
Gasparetto
Emerson L
EL
Werner
Jairo
J
Gonçalves
João Pedro Sevalho
JP
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007294:Inositol / Q000378:metabolism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D011522:Protons; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
D011522:Protons; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D007294:Inositol; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine; D002794:Choline