SUPPLEMENT ARTICLE |
Brain Imaging and Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Patients With Phenylketonuria



* Max Planck Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Leipzig, Germany
Department of Pediatrics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
Department of Radiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
|| Department of Pediatrics, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
¶ Max Planck Institute of Neurological Research, Köln, Germany
Magnetic resonance imaging studies in patients with phenylketonuria (PKU) revealed white matter alterations that correlated to most recent blood phenylalanine (Phe) concentrations as well as to brain Phe concentrations measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The clinical significance of these changes is unknown. Magnetic resonance imaging data thus have no impact on therapeutic recommendations for adolescents and adults with PKU. Kinetic investigations of patients by magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed differences in brain Phe concentrations despite similar blood Phe levels. These were influenced by interindividual variations of blood-brain barrier Phe transport constants and by variations of the individual brain Phe consumption rate. Blood-brain barrier Phe transport characteristics as well as brain Phe consumption rates thus seem to be causative factors for the individual outcome in PKU.
Key Words: phenylketonuria brain imaging proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Abbreviations: Phe, phenylalanine, PKU, phenylketonuria MRI, magnetic resonance imaging Kt, Michaelis-Menten transport constant Tmax, maximal transport velocity Vmet, consumption velocity
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
A. V. Glushakov, O. Glushakova, M. Varshney, L. K. Bajpai, C. Sumners, P. J. Laipis, J. E. Embury, S. P. Baker, D. H. Otero, D. M. Dennis, et al. Long-term changes in glutamatergic synaptic transmission in phenylketonuria Brain, February 1, 2005; 128(2): 300 - 307. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||






