Does B12 deficiency lead to change in brain metabolites in pediatric population? A MR spectroscopy study

• Published in: Neurological sciences Vol. 40; no. 11; pp. 2319 - 2324
• Main Authors: Dokumaci, Dilek Sen, Dogan, Ferit, Geter, Suleyman, Almaz, Veysi, Calik, Mustafa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-11-2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Atrophy; Brain; Case-Control Studies; Cerebellum; Cerebellum - diagnostic imaging; Cerebellum - metabolism; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Corpus Striatum - diagnostic imaging; Corpus Striatum - metabolism; Female; Frontal Lobe - diagnostic imaging; Frontal Lobe - metabolism; Hemispheric laterality; Humans; Infant; Lentiform nucleus; Magnetic resonance imaging; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolites; Myelination; Neurology; Neuroradiology; Neurosciences; Neurosurgery; Original Article; Parenchyma; Patients; Population studies; Psychiatry; Spectrum analysis; Statistics; Substantia alba; Vitamin B 12 Deficiency - diagnostic imaging; Vitamin B 12 Deficiency - metabolism; Vitamin B12; Vitamin deficiency; White Matter - diagnostic imaging; White Matter - metabolism; Brain metabolites; Brain MRI; Vitamin B12; Pediatric population; MR spectroscopy
• ISSN: 1590-1874; 1590-3478
• DOI: 10.1007/s10072-019-03990-5

Objectives
The aim of this study is to examine metabolite changes in different brain regions of the children with vitamin B12 deficiency disease using MR spectroscopy.
Methods
Eighteen children with serum vit. B12 deficiency and 12 healthy volunteer children were included in the study. All children were examined with single-voxel spectroscopy examination via 1.5-Tesla MRI. The spectra were obtained from the left frontal periventricular white matter, left lentiform nucleus and left cerebellar hemisphere. The comparisons between patient group and control group were made with ratios calculated as NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr, mI/Cr, and Glx/Cr. All brain images were also examined in terms of brain atrophy, abnormal brain parenchyma intensity changes, or myelination status.
Results
The children were between 3 months and 16 years old in the patient group, and between 3 months and 15 years old in the control group. There were no statistical differences in terms of metabolite ratios in the three different brain regions between the patients and control group. In two patients, periventricular white matter hyperintensities were observed. In four patients, brain atrophy was detected.
Discussion
MR spectroscopy examination demonstrated that there were no statistical differences in terms of all metabolite ratios in left frontal periventricular white matter, left lentiform nucleus and left cerebellar hemisphere.