Diffusion kurtosis imaging detects subclinical white matter abnormalities in Phenylketonuria

OBJECTIVE: Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive disorder whereby deficiencies in phenylalanine metabolism cause progressive neurological dysfunction. Managing PKU is challenging, with disease monitoring focussed on short-term phenylalanine control rather than measures of neuronal damage. Conventional imaging lacks sensitivity, however diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), a new MRI method may reveal subclinical white matter structural changes in PKU. METHODS: This cohort study involved adults with PKU recruited during routine clinical care. MRI, neurocognitive assessment and historical phenylalanine (Phe) levels were collected. A hypothesis-generating case study comparing diet-compliant and non-compliant siblings confirmed that DKI metrics are sensitive to dietary adherence and prompted a candidate metric (K(rad)/K(FA) ratio). We then tested this metric in a Replication cohort (PKU = 20; controls = 43). RESULTS: Both siblings scored outside the range of controls for all DKI-based metrics, with severe changes in the periventricular white matter and a gradient of severity toward the cortex. K(rad)/K(FA) provided clear separation by diagnosis in the Replication cohort (p < 0.001 in periventricular, deep and pericortical compartments). The ratio also correlated negatively with attention (r = −0.51 & −0.50, p < 0.05) and positively with 3-year mean Phe (r = 0.45 & 0.58, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: DKI reveals regionally-specific, progressive abnormalities of brain diffusion characteristics in PKU, even in the absence of conspicuous clinical signs or abnormalities on conventional MRI. A DKI-based marker derived from these scores (K(rad)/K(FA) ratio) was sensitive to cognitive impairment and PKU control over the medium term and may provide a meaningful subclinical biomarker of end-organ damage.