A Review of Functional Neuroimaging in People with Down Syndrome with and without Dementia

Funmi Deinde; Jay Kotecha; Lilian Suh Lih Lau; Sagnik Bhattacharyya; Latha Velayudhan

doi:10.1159/000520880

A Review of Functional Neuroimaging in People with Down Syndrome with and without Dementia

Dement Geriatr Cogn Dis Extra. 2021 Dec 27;11(3):324-332. doi: 10.1159/000520880. eCollection 2021 Sep-Dec.

Authors

Funmi Deinde¹, Jay Kotecha², Lilian Suh Lih Lau³, Sagnik Bhattacharyya⁴, Latha Velayudhan^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychological Medicine, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
² Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
³ Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Mansfield, United Kingdom.
⁴ Academic Psychiatry Division, Department of Psychosis, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
⁵ Academic Psychiatry Division, Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Background: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) are at high risk of dementia which is difficult to diagnose in DS. Neuroimaging has been identified as a potential tool to aid diagnosis by detecting changes in brain function. We carried out a review comparing functional neuroimaging in DS individuals with and without dementia.

Summary: A literature search was conducted using PubMed to identify relevant studies. In DS subjects with dementia, fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (PET) studies showed glucose hypometabolism particularly in the parietal and/or temporal regions whilst magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies showed increased myoinositol and decreased N-acetylaspartate. Ligand-based PET studies revealed significant Pittsburgh compound B binding in DS subjects over the age of 40, particularly if they had dementia.

Key messages: Neuroimaging may aid the early detection of dementia in DS; however, further longitudinal studies are required.

Keywords: Dementia; Down syndrome; Functional neuroimaging.

Publication types

Review