Department of MRI, Children Hospital of Shanxi Province (Shanxi Maternal and Child Health Hospital), Taiyuan 030013.
Department of Hospital-Acquired Infection Control, Children Hospital of Shanxi Province (Shanxi Maternal and Child Health Hospital), Taiyuan 030013, China.
Zhong Nan Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban. 2022 Jul 28;47(7):910-919. doi: 10.11817/j.issn.1672-7347.2022.220135.
Many neuropsychiatric diseases are related to the abnormal development of brain tissue in infants. This study aims to analyze the changes in the parameters of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in brain development of infants aged from 2 months to 2 years old, and to explore the value of MRS combined with DTI in evaluating brain development of infants aged from 2 months to 2 years old.
A total of 116 normal infants, who received whole brain MRS and DTI examinations after delivery in Children Hospital of Shanxi Province from September 2020 to May 2021, were selected and were divided into a group A (=7, at the age of 2-6 months), a group B (=28, at the age of 7-12 months), a group C (=41, at the age of 13-18 months), and a group D (=40, at the age of 19-24 months). After collecting the MRS and DTI data, statistical analysis was performed to compare DTI parameters and MRS metabolic products ratio.
There were significant differences in the DTI parameters of frontal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe, hind limb of internal capsule, fore limb of internal capsule, knee of corpus callosum, splenium of corpus callosum, and optic radiation among the 4 groups (<0.05 or <0.01). The values of fractional anisotropy (FA) showed an upward trend from the group A to the group D, while the values of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) showed a downward trend, and the changes of parameters tended to slow down with age. In the left or right lentiform nucleus, the ratio of choline (Cho)/creatine (Cr) was decreased from the group A to the group D, and the group D was significantly lower than the group A and B (all <0.01). The ratio of Cho/N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) was decreased from the group A to the group D, and the group D was significantly lower than the group A, B, and C (left lentiform nucleus, <0.05 or <0.01) or the group A, B (right lentiform nucleus, both <0.01). The ratio of glutamine/glutamate (Glx)/Cr was decreased from the group A to the group D, and the group D was significantly lower than the group A, B and C (<0.05 or <0.01). The ratio of myo-inositol (mI)/Cr was increased from the group A to the group D, and the group D was significantly higher than the group A, B, and C (<0.05 or <0.01). The ratio of NAA/Cr was increased from the group A to the group D, and the group B, C, and D were significantly higher than the group A (<0.05 or <0.01). The ratios of mI/Cr and NAA/Cr in different brain regions from the group A to the group D showed an upward trend, and the ratios of Cho/Cr, Cho/NAA, and Glx/Cr showed a downward trend. The variation of each parameter tends to decrease with age.
MRS and DTI can detect the brain development of infants aged from 2 months to 2 years old, and provide a basis for predicting brain diseases.
许多神经精神疾病与婴儿期脑组织的异常发育有关。本研究旨在分析 2 个月至 2 岁婴儿脑发育过程中磁共振波谱（MRS）和弥散张量成像（DTI）参数的变化，并探讨 MRS 联合 DTI 评估 2 个月至 2 岁婴儿脑发育的价值。
选取 2020 年 9 月至 2021 年 5 月在山西省儿童医院接受全脑 MRS 和 DTI 检查的 116 例正常婴儿，分为 A 组（n=7，2-6 月龄）、B 组（n=28，7-12 月龄）、C 组（n=41，13-18 月龄）和 D 组（n=40，19-24 月龄）。收集 MRS 和 DTI 数据后，对 DTI 参数和 MRS 代谢产物比值进行统计分析。
4 组间额叶、颞叶、枕叶、内囊后肢、内囊前肢、胼胝体膝部、胼胝体压部、视辐射的 DTI 参数均有显著性差异（<0.05 或 <0.01）。FA 值呈 A 组至 D 组逐渐升高的趋势，而 ADC、AD、RD 值呈逐渐降低的趋势，且参数变化随年龄增长趋于缓慢。左侧或右侧豆状核，Cho/Cr 比值呈 A 组至 D 组逐渐降低的趋势，且 D 组明显低于 A 组和 B 组（均 <0.01）。Cho/NAA 比值呈 A 组至 D 组逐渐降低的趋势，且 D 组明显低于 A、B、C 组（左侧豆状核，<0.05 或 <0.01）或 A、B 组（右侧豆状核，均 <0.01）。Glx/Cr 比值呈 A 组至 D 组逐渐降低的趋势，且 D 组明显低于 A、B、C 组（<0.05 或 <0.01）。mI/Cr 比值呈 A 组至 D 组逐渐升高的趋势，且 D 组明显高于 A、B、C 组（<0.05 或 <0.01）。A 组至 D 组，NAA/Cr 比值逐渐升高，B、C、D 组均明显高于 A 组（<0.05 或 <0.01）。A 组至 D 组，不同脑区 mI/Cr 和 NAA/Cr 比值呈上升趋势，Cho/Cr、Cho/NAA 和 Glx/Cr 比值呈下降趋势。各参数的变化随年龄增长趋于平缓。
MRS 和 DTI 可检测 2 个月至 2 岁婴儿的脑发育情况，为预测脑疾病提供依据。
