Differences in Metabolite Concentrations Between the Hemispheres of the Brain in Healthy Children

Abstract

The aim of this 1HMRS study was to identify hemispheric asymmetries in metabolismus in healthy children. The study group consisted of children of both sexes aged 6 to 15. Concentrations of 6 metabolites occurring in the brain were determined for 6 locations: hippocampus, frontal lobe, and basal ganglia in the left and right hemispheres. There were no hemispheric differences in the metabolites’ concentrations in the brain in children when the variable of sex was disregarded. Only in the group of boys and in the group of girls did the findings show few discrepancies. In none of these groups, relative concentrations to creatine concentration were found to be significantly different between hemispheres. In clinical practice, concentrations of specific metabolites are most frequently determined relative to the concentration of creatine. Consequently, the analysis of standard 1HMRS examinations in children does not need to take into account interhemispheric differences.