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Cerebral metabolite differences in adolescents with low birth weight: assessment with in vivo proton MR spectroscopy
Tone F Bathen1, Torill E Sjöbakk, Jon Skranes
1Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. tone.f.bathen@ntnu.no
Insights
Adolescents born with very low birth weight (VLBW) or small for gestational age (SGA) show subtle brain metabolite differences. Advanced analysis confirmed these distinctions, aiding in understanding neurodevelopmental risks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biochemistry
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Children born with very low birth weight (VLBW) face heightened risks of neurodevelopmental issues.
- Infants born small for gestational age (SGA) at term are also susceptible to neurological impairment.
- Understanding these risks requires investigating brain development in these populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify brain metabolite variations in adolescents who experienced VLBW or SGA at term compared to controls.
- To utilize proton in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for this investigation.
- To explore potential differences in specific brain metabolites.
Main Methods:
- Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was performed at 1.5 T on adolescents.
- MR spectra were acquired from the left frontal lobe white matter of 54 subjects.
- N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), and creatine (Cr) peak areas were quantified, and ratios calculated.
- Probabilistic neural network (PNN) analysis was applied to metabolite data.
Main Results:
- Standard statistical tests (Kruskal-Wallis) showed no significant differences in metabolite peak area ratios.
- Probabilistic neural network (PNN) analysis achieved a high classification accuracy (93%) for all groups.
- This indicates subtle, yet systematic, differences were detectable by advanced analysis.
Conclusions:
- Probabilistic neural network (PNN) analysis successfully identified small, systematic differences in brain metabolite distribution.
- These findings suggest that VLBW and SGA may be associated with distinct neurochemical profiles in adolescence.
- Further research can explore the long-term neurodevelopmental implications of these metabolite differences.
Background:
Children with very low birth weight (VLBW) have a significantly increased risk of later neurodevelopmental problems, while infants born small for gestational age (SGA) at term are also at some risk of developing neurological impairment.
Objective:
To investigate possible brain metabolite differences in adolescents with VLBW, SGA at term and controls by proton in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at 1.5 T.
Materials And Methods:
MR spectra were acquired from volumes localized in the left frontal lobe, containing mainly white matter (54 subjects). Peak areas of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), choline (Cho) and creatine (Cr) were determined, and the peak area ratio of NAA to Cr, total Cho to Cr, or NAA to Cho calculated. Probabilistic neural network (PNN) analysis was performed utilizing the chemical shift region containing resonances from NAA, Cho and Cr as inputs.
Results:
No significant difference in the peak area ratios could be found using the Kruskal-Wallis test. By application of PNN, a correct classification of 52 of the 54 adolescents with a sensitivity and specificity exceeding 93% for all groups was achieved.
Conclusion:
Small, yet systematic, differences in brain metabolite distribution among the groups were confirmed by PNN analysis.
