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Quantitative synthetic MRI reveals grey matter abnormalities in children with drug-naïve
Shu Su1, Yingqian Chen1, Yan Dai1
1Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Insights
Synthetic MRI reveals altered brain grey matter in children with ADHD. These quantitative T1 and T2 relaxometry changes in specific brain regions may serve as future imaging markers for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Quantitative MRI
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder.
- Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of ADHD is crucial for developing effective treatments.
- Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers potential for characterizing brain structure and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate quantitative brain grey matter (GM) profiles in pediatric drug-naïve ADHD patients.
- To utilize synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (SyMRI) for detailed T1 and T2 relaxometry mapping.
- To explore correlations between altered MRI indices and clinical measures in ADHD.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 37 drug-naïve pediatric ADHD patients and 27 age/gender-matched healthy controls (HC).
- Acquired both SyMRI and conventional 3D T1-FSPGR scans for all subjects.
- Analyzed T1 and T2 maps using general linear models and Pearson correlation analysis.
Main Results:
- ADHD patients showed altered T1 and T2 relaxometry times in GM regions, including the cerebellum, attention/execution control network, default mode network, and limbic areas.
- Negative correlation found between right cerebellum 8 T1 value and attention concentration in ADHD.
- Associations observed between attention levels and T2 values in the left fusiform gyrus and right cerebellum crus2.
Conclusions:
- Altered T1 and T2 values in specific GM regions suggest widespread micromorphology changes in ADHD, potentially indicating iron deficiency, low myelin, or enlarged vascular interstitial space.
- Quantitative T1 and T2 values derived from SyMRI show promise as imaging biomarkers for ADHD.
- SyMRI provides valuable quantitative insights into the neurobiology of pediatric ADHD.
Abstract:
To investigate the quantitative profiles of brain grey matter (GM) in pediatric drug-naïve ADHD patients using synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (SyMRI). A total of 37 drug-naïve pediatric ADHD and 27 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC) were enrolled in this study. Each subject underwent both SyMRI and conventional 3D T1-FSPGR scans. Quantitative parameters, T1 and T2 maps, were extracted from the SyMRI data. Between-group quantitative maps were compared using a general linear model analysis. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to assess the association between significantly altered MR indices and clinical measurements in ADHD. Compared with the HC group, altered T1 and T2 relaxometry times in the ADHD group were mainly distributed in GM regions of the cerebellum, attention and execution control network, default mode network, and limbic areas. Moreover, the T1 value of the right cerebellum 8 was negatively correlated with the attention concentration level in ADHD (R = 0.140, P = 0.0225). With regards to T2 map, the associations were observed between the attention level of ADHD patients and left fusiform gyrus (R = 0.251, P = 0.0016), and right cerebellum crus2 (R = 0.142, P = 0.0214). Altered T1, T2 values found in specific regions of GM, including cerebellum, attention and execution control network, default mode network, and limbic areas, may reveal widespread micromorphology changes, i.e., brain iron deficiency, low myelin content, and enlarged vascular interstitial space in ADHD patients. Thus, T1, T2 values might be promising imaging markers for future ADHD studies.
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