Structural brain alterations of Down’s syndrome in early childhood evaluation by DTI and volumetric analyses

• Published in: European radiology Vol. 27; no. 7; pp. 3013 - 3021
• Main Authors: Gunbey, Hediye Pınar, Bilgici, Meltem Ceyhan, Aslan, Kerim, Has, Arzu Ceylan, Ogur, Methiye Gonul, Alhan, Aslıhan, Incesu, Lutfi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.07.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aging; Anisotropy; Automation; Basal ganglia; Biomarkers; Brain; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain stem; Cerebellum; Child, Preschool; Childhood; Children; Cognition; Cognitive ability; Corpus callosum; Cortex; Delay; Diagnostic Radiology; Diffusion Tensor Imaging - methods; Diffusivity; Down syndrome; Down Syndrome - diagnosis; Down Syndrome - physiopathology; Down's syndrome; Evaluation; Female; Ganglia; Humans; Image segmentation; Imaging; Integrity; Internal Medicine; Interventional Radiology; Magnetic Resonance; Magnetic resonance imaging; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neurodevelopment; Neuroimaging; Neuroradiology; Organ Size; Radiology; Regional analysis; Spatial analysis; Statistical analysis; Statistics; Substantia alba; Substantia grisea; Thalamus; Ultrasound; White Matter - diagnostic imaging; Down’s syndrome; DTI; Brain; MRI; Volumetry
• ISSN: 0938-7994; 1432-1084; 1432-1084
• DOI: 10.1007/s00330-016-4626-6

Objectives To provide an initial assessment of white matter (WM) integrity with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and the accompanying volumetric changes in WM and grey matter (GM) through volumetric analyses of young children with Down’s syndrome (DS). Methods Ten children with DS and eight healthy control subjects were included in the study. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) were used in the DTI study for whole-brain voxelwise analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of WM. Volumetric analyses were performed with an automated segmentation method to obtain regional measurements of cortical volumes. Results Children with DS showed significantly reduced FA in association tracts of the fronto-temporo-occipital regions as well as the corpus callosum (CC) and anterior limb of the internal capsule (p < 0.05). Volumetric reductions included total cortical GM, cerebellar GM and WM volume, basal ganglia, thalamus, brainstem and CC in DS compared with controls (p < 0.05). Conclusion These preliminary results suggest that DTI and volumetric analyses may reflect the earliest complementary changes of the neurodevelopmental delay in children with DS and can serve as surrogate biomarkers of the specific elements of WM and GM integrity for cognitive development. Key Points • DS is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability. • WM and GM structural alterations represent the neurological features of DS. • DTI may identify the earliest aging process changes. • DTI-volumetric analyses can serve as surrogate biomarkers of neurodevelopment in DS.