Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging of the brain in childhood autism

Autism is a developmental disorder of unknown neurologic basis. Based on prior work, we used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (1H- MRSI) to investigate brain structures, including cingulate and caudate, that we hypothesized would reveal metabolic abnormalities in subjects with autism....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biological psychiatry (1969) 2003-12, Vol.54 (12), p.1355-1366
Main Authors: Levitt, Jennifer G, O'Neill, Joseph, Blanton, Rebecca E, Smalley, Susan, Fadale, David, McCracken, James T, Guthrie, Donald, Toga, Arthur W, Alger, Jeffrey R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Aspartic Acid - analogs & derivatives
Aspartic Acid - metabolism
Autism
Autistic Disorder - physiopathology
Biological and medical sciences
brain
Brain - physiopathology
Brain Mapping
Case-Control Studies
caudate nucleus
Child
Child clinical studies
Child, Preschool
Choline - metabolism
cingulate gyrus
Creatine - metabolism
Developmental disorders
Female
Humans
Infantile autism
Intelligence - physiology
Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Male
Medical sciences
Nervous system
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Radiodiagnosis. Nmr imagery. Nmr spectrometry
Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission - methods
Tritium - metabolism
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Summary:Autism is a developmental disorder of unknown neurologic basis. Based on prior work, we used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (1H- MRSI) to investigate brain structures, including cingulate and caudate, that we hypothesized would reveal metabolic abnormalities in subjects with autism. In 22 children with autism, 5 to 16 years old, and 20 age-matched healthy control subjects, 1H-MRSI assessed levels of N-acetyl compounds (NAA), choline compounds (Cho), and creatine plus phosphocreatine (Cr) at 272 msec echo-time and 1.5 T. In subjects with autism compared with control subjects, Cho was 27.2% lower in left inferior anterior cingulate and 19.1% higher in the head of the right caudate nucleus; Cr was 21.1% higher in the head of the right caudate nucleus, but lower in the body of the left caudate nucleus (17.9%) and right occipital cortex (16.6%). Results are consistent with altered membrane metabolism, altered energetic metabolism, or both in the left anterior cingulate gyrus, both caudate nuclei, and right occipital cortex in subjects with autism compared with control subjects.
ISSN:0006-3223
1873-2402
DOI:10.1016/S0006-3223(03)00688-7