Proton MR spectroscopy in three children with Tay-Sachs disease

Background: Tay-Sachs disease is an inherited metabolic disease caused by the accumulation of GM₂ gangliosides in the central nervous system. Deficiency of hexosaminidase A leads to the accumulation of gangliosides in neurons, axons and glial cells. Objective: To present the cranial MRI and proton MR spectroscopy findings of children of Tay-Sachs disease. Materials and methods: Three children aged 10, 20 and 21 months were examined. Results: On T2-weighted MR images there were hyperintense signal changes in the basal ganglia and cerebral white matter. MR spectroscopy demonstrated an increase in myoinositol/creatine and choline/creatine ratios with a decrease in the N-acetyl aspartate/creatine ratio. Conclusions: The spectroscopy findings support demyelination, gliosis and neuronal loss in the neuropathological process of Tay-Sachs disease.