Longitudinal increases of brain metabolite levels in 5-10 year old children
Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Abstract
Longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies
reveal significant changes in brain structure and structural networks that occur together
with cognitive and behavioral maturation in childhood. However, the underlying cellular
changes accompanying brain maturation are less understood. Examining regional agerelated
changes in metabolite levels provides insight into the physiology of neurodevelopment.
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) measures localize brain metabolism. The
majority of neuroimaging studies of healthy development are from the developed world. In
a longitudinal MRS study of 64 South African children aged 5 to 10 years old (29 female;
29 HIV exposed, uninfected), we examined the age-related trajectories of creatine (Cr
+PCr), N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), the combined NAA+N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate
(NAAG), choline (GPC+PCh), glutamate (Glu) and the combined Glu+glutamine (Glu
+Gln) in voxels within gray and white matter, as well as subcortically in the basal ganglia
(BG). In frontal gray matter, we found age-related increases in Cr+PCr, NAA, NAA+NAAG
and Glu+Gln levels pointing to synaptic activity likely related to learning. In the BG we
observed increased levels of Glu, Glu+Gln and NAA+NAAG with age that point to subcortical
synaptic reorganization. In white matter, we found increased levels of Cr+PCr, NAA,
NAA+NAAG, Glu and Glu+Gln with age, implicating these metabolites in ongoing myelination.
We observed no sex-age or HIV exposure-age interactions, indicating that physiological
changes are independent of sex during this time period. The metabolite trajectories
presented, therefore, provide a critical benchmark of normal cellular growth for a low
socioeconomic pediatric population in the developing world against which pathology and
abnormal development may be compared.
Description
CITATION: Holmes, M. J., et al. 2017. Longitudinal increases of brain metabolite levels in 5-10 year old children. PLoS ONE, 12(7):e0180973, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0180973.
The original publication is available at https://journals.plos.org/plosone
The original publication is available at https://journals.plos.org/plosone
Keywords
Brain -- Metabolism, Brain -- Growth, Metabolites, Child development, Growth factors, Magnetic resonance imaging, Diffusion tensor imaging
Citation
Holmes, M. J., et al. 2017. Longitudinal increases of brain metabolite levels in 5-10 year old children. PLoS ONE, 12(7):e0180973, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0180973