Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40604374›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurodevelopmental disorders2025

Diffusivity alterations related to cognitive performance and phenylalanine levels in early-treated adults with phenylketonuria.

Jèssica Pardo, Clara Capdevila-Lacasa, Bàrbara Segura, Adriana Pané, Pedro J Moreno, Glòria Garrabou, Josep M Grau-Junyent, Carme Junqué, Consortium PKU.cat

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Molecular genetics and metabolism reports · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Jèssica Pardo *Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, C/Casanova 143 (08036) , Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4665-4213
Clara Capdevila-Lacasa *Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, C/Casanova 143 (08036) , Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1923-6465
Bàrbara SeguraMedical Psychology Unit, Department of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, C/Casanova 143 (08036) , Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. bsegura@ub.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9673-5479
Adriana PanéBiomedical Research Networking Center on Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7810-1827
Pedro J MorenoMuscular and Inherited Metabolic Disorders Adults Unit, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5501-5272
Glòria GarrabouMuscular and Inherited Metabolic Disorders Adults Unit, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8973-9933
Josep M Grau-JunyentFundació de Recerca Clínic Barcelona-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7560-224X
Carme JunquéMedical Psychology Unit, Department of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, C/Casanova 143 (08036) , Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6381-3063
Consortium PKU.cat

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAltered white matter (WM) is consistently reported in patients with phenylketonuria (PKU). However, the knowledge about WM microstructural integrity in early-treated adults with classical PKU and its relationship with cognition and metabolic parameters is inconclusive. This study aims to explore the cerebral WM microstructural alterations in adult patients with early-treated classical PKU and their association with blood phenylalanine (Phe) levels and neuropsychological performance using whole-brain diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

methodsTwenty-nine patients with early-treated classical PKU (mean age = 30.86, SD = 7.74) and 31 healthy controls (mean age = 32.45, SD = 9.40) underwent neuropsychological assessment and MRI. Phe dry blood spot (DBS-Phe) samples, along with venous Phe levels, were collected from the PKU sample to calculate the index of dietary control (IDC). Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) of the mean diffusivity (MD), and fractional anisotropy (FA), were carried out with FSL v6.0.4 to assess between-group differences and to explore associations with both cognitive and clinical data.

resultsPatients exhibited a widespread white matter tract involvement, with lower MD and higher FA values compared to controls. The most affected tracts were the inferior longitudinal fasciculus and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus for MD, and the anterior corona radiata, uncinate fasciculus and forceps minor for FA. MD negatively correlated with IDC and venous Phe levels, whereas FA negatively correlated with full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) (p-value ≤0.05 FWE-corrected).

conclusionsMicrostructural WM alterations were present in adults with early-treated classical PKU, and these abnormalities were related to global intelligence and metabolic control markers. Although our results suggest the importance of proper disease management, further studies are needed to determine its long-term relevance.

Indexed as

BrainCognitionPhenylalaninePhenylketonuriasWhite MatterAdultDiffusion Tensor ImagingFemaleHumansMaleNeuropsychological TestsYoung AdultPhenylalanineCerebral white matterDietary controlDiffusion tensor imagingNeuropsychological performancePhenylketonuria

Identifiers

PMID40604374
PMCPMC12220134

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.