Brain metabolic profile assessed by magnetic resonance spectroscopy in children with Down syndrome: Relation to intelligence quotient.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: 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. AIM: 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. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSION: Brain metabolic profile could be a good predictor of IQ in children with DS.