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Quantitative susceptibility mapping shows lower brain iron content in children with autism

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Abstract

Objective

To explore the application of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) of brain iron content in children with autism.

Methods

For the control group, 40 normal children aged 2–3, 3–4, 4–5, and 5–6 years were prospectively selected from June 2018 to December 2018, with equal numbers of males and females in each age group. For the study group, 40 children with autism aged 2–3, 3–4, 4–5, and 5–6 years were prospectively selected from January 2019 to October 2019; once again, there were equal numbers of males and females in each age group. All children received routine head MRI scans and enhanced T2*-weighted angiography (ESWAN) sequence scans, and the ESWAN sequence images were processed by software to obtain magnetic susceptibility maps. The regions of interest (ROIs) of the frontal white matter, frontal gray matter, thalamus, red nucleus, substantia nigra, dentate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen nucleus, caudate nucleus, pons, and splenium of the corpus callosum were selected, and the magnetic susceptibility values were measured. The differences in magnetic susceptibility between the two groups were compared in children at the same age.

Results

For the children aged 2–3 years, the magnetic susceptibility values in the caudate nucleus, dentate nucleus, and splenium of the corpus callosum in the study group were lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05). For the children aged 3–4, 4–5, and 5–6 years, the magnetic susceptibility values in the frontal white matter, caudate nucleus, red nucleus, substantia nigra, dentate nucleus, and splenium of the corpus callosum in the study group were lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

The brain iron content of children with autism is lower than that of normal children.

Trial registration

This study protocol was registered at the Chinese clinical trial registry (registration number: ChiCTR2000029699; http://www.chictr.org.cn/searchprojen.aspx).

Key Points

• In this study, the brain iron content of normal children and children with autism was compared to identify the differences, which provided a new objective basis for the early diagnosis of children with autism.

• This study examined the iron content values in various brain regions of normal children aged 2–6 years in this region and established a reference range for iron content in various brain regions of normal children in one geographical area, providing a reliable and objective standard for the diagnosis and treatment of some brain diseases in children.

• The results of this study indicate that the brain iron content of preschool children with autism is lower than that of normal preschool children.

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Abbreviations

ASD:

Autism spectrum disorder

CSF:

Cerebrospinal fluid

DSM-IV:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition

ESWAN:

Enhanced T2*-weighted angiography

IQ:

Intelligence quotient

MCV:

Mean corpuscular volume

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

QSM:

Quantitative susceptibility mapping

ROI:

Region of interest

SWI:

Susceptibility-weighted imaging

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Bin Qin, Ph.D., for constructive criticism of this manuscript. Shilong Tang and Ling He: experimental design, project management. Ye Xu: experimental design, data analysis. Xianfan Liu: statistical analysis, image analysis. Zhuo Chen and Yu Zhou: data acquisition; data analysis. Lisha Nie: software support.

Funding

The authors state that this work has not received any funding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400014, China

    Shilong Tang & Ling He

  2. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Ye Xu

  3. National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Xianfan Liu

  4. China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Zhuo Chen

  5. Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Yu Zhou

  6. GE Healthcare, MR Research China, Beijing, China

    Lisha Nie

Authors
  1. Shilong Tang
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  2. Ye Xu
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  7. Ling He
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ling He.

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Guarantor

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Ling He.

Conflict of interest

One of the authors of this manuscript (Lisha Nie) is an employee of GE Healthcare. The remaining authors declare no relationships with any companies whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.

Statistics and biometry

One of the authors has significant statistical expertise.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects (patients) in this study.

Ethical approval

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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•prospective

• diagnostic or prognostic study

• performed at one institution

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Tang, S., Xu, Y., Liu, X. et al. Quantitative susceptibility mapping shows lower brain iron content in children with autism. Eur Radiol 31, 2073–2083 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-020-07267-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-020-07267-w

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