Brain development in children with developmental delay using amide proton transfer-weighted imaging and magnetization...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Developmental Pediatrics
• Biophysics

Background:

• Brain development in children with developmental delay (DD) is not fully understood.
• Amide proton transfer-weighted (APTw) imaging is a novel MRI technique that detects endogenous proteins and peptides involved in myelination.
• APTw imaging may offer insights into brain development processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the contribution of APTw imaging and magnetization transfer (MT) imaging in assessing children with DD.
• To compare imaging findings between DD groups and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-one children with DD were divided into two groups based on MRI-assessed myelination status (delayed vs. normal).
• Fifty-one age- and sex-matched healthy children served as controls.
• Axial APTw/MT imaging was performed, and quantitative data for MT ratio (MTR) and APTw were analyzed across brain regions.

Main Results:

• Children with delayed myelination showed significantly lower MTR and higher APTw values in multiple brain regions compared to controls.
• Children with normal myelination on MRI exhibited non-significant trends of reduced MTR and increased APTw compared to controls.

Conclusions:

• APTw and MTR imaging can aid in diagnosing myelination delay in DD patients by quantifying molecular changes, providing a novel method for comprehensive DD evaluation.
• The clinical utility of APTw and MTR imaging for DD patients with normal myelination requires further investigation.