Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Down's Syndrome

Abstract

100% of brains of Down's adults over age 40 will show Alzheimer-type neuropathologic changes in the frontal and temporal lobes. In an attempt to image these lesions, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in seven patients with Down's syndrome, ranging in age from 17 to 45 years, using a resistive unit operating at 0.15 Tesla. All scans were within normal limits except for one 45 year-old patient with severe left temporal lobe atrophy. No areas of abnormal signal were seen in the frontal or temporal lobes and the white matter lesions commonly seen in elderly demented subjects were not visualized in this group. We conclude that these white matter lesions are likely coincidental and not causally related to Alzheimer's changes. The pathologic process leading to the formation and development of Alzheimer's changes in the brains of Down's adults may not be visible on magnetic resonance images.