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Glutamate alterations in the premature infant brain during different gestational ages with glutamate chemical
Qingfa Ren1, Bin Wan2, Xunrong Luo3
1School of Medical Imaging, Binzhou Medical University, No. 346 Guanhai Road, Laishan District, Yantai, 264003, China.
Insights
Glutamate levels in preterm infants
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biochemistry
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Preterm birth poses risks for neurodevelopmental dysfunction.
- Understanding brain development in preterm infants is crucial.
- Glutamate plays a key role in brain function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure glutamate levels in preterm infants using glutamate chemical exchange saturated transfer (GluCEST) MRI.
- To investigate the relationship between gestational age and brain glutamate concentration.
- To compare glutamate levels across different brain regions and between preterm infant groups.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-three preterm infants underwent MRI, including conventional and GluCEST sequences.
- Data were processed using MATLAB, with correlation analysis and ANOVA for statistical evaluation.
- MTRasym values were analyzed to assess glutamate concentration and its distribution.
Main Results:
- Glutamate concentration showed a positive correlation with gestational age across all analyzed brain regions.
- Higher glutamate levels were observed in the thalamus compared to the frontal lobe in all preterm infant groups.
- No significant difference in glutamate concentration was found between bilateral brain regions.
Conclusions:
- Brain glutamate concentration increases with gestational age in preterm infants.
- Variations in glutamate levels across brain regions may contribute to neurodevelopmental differences.
- The findings provide insights into brain maturation in preterm infants.
Objectives:
To elucidate the change in glutamate levels in preterm infants at different gestational ages by glutamate chemical exchange saturated transfer (GluCEST) magnetic resonance imaging and to compare the difference in glutamate levels among different brain regions between very early preterm infants and middle and late preterm infants.
Methods:
Fifty-three preterm infants (59% males; median gestational age = 33.6 weeks) underwent MRI, including conventional MRI and GluCEST. The original data were postprocessed in MATLAB. Correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the MTRasym and gestational age. The differences in MTRasym signals among different ROIs were statistically analysed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The MTRasym difference of the bilateral hemispherical ROI was compared by a paired T test.
Results:
In all ROIs, glutamate concentration was positively correlated with gestational age. The glutamate concentration in the thalamus was higher than that in the frontal lobe in very early, middle and late preterm infants. A difference in glutamate concentration was not found in the bilateral ROIs.
Conclusions:
The concentration of glutamate in the brains of preterm infants of different gestational ages increased with gestational age, which may be one of the factors contributing to the higher incidence of neurodevelopmental dysfunction in very early preterm infants compared to that in middle and late preterm infants. Meanwhile, the glutamate concentrations among different brain regions were also diverse.
Key Points:
• The glutamate concentration was positively correlated with gestational age in preterm infants of the brain. • Glutamate concentrations were dissimilar in different brain regions of preterm infants. • Glutamate concentration during the process of brain development in premature infants was not found to be asymmetric.
