Positron tomography demonstrates frontal lobe hypometabolism in progressive supranuclear palsy

Abstract

A regional analysis of cerebral glucose metabolism was carried out in 9 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy by using positron emission tomography with fluorodeoxyglucose as the tracer. A consistent metabolic map of frontal hypometabolism was found in 7 patients. Brain metabolism was normal in 1 subject and diffusely decreased in another. In the 7 patients with selective hypofrontality, motor and premotor areas were severely hypometabolic, while heteromodal association cortex and paralimbic regions were comparatively less affected. Although this pattern of frontal alterations, probably due to disconnection, appeared consistent with the clinical features of the disease, it proved difficult to correlate the metabolic maps with neuropsychological disturbances.

Subcortical type cognitive impairment in herpes zoster encephalitis

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Cognitive deficits in progressive supranuclear palsy, Parkinson's disease, and multiple system atrophy in tests sensitive to frontal lobe dysfunction.

“…In the attentional set shifting task, the three patient groups were compared with a large group of normal control volunteers (n = 79, mean age = 58-8 (SE = 0-9), mean NART IQ 116.0 (0 9) between the ages of 41 and 69 drawn from the North East Age Research panel in Newcastle Upon Tyne and from the Newcastle, Cambridgeshire and London areas. Informed consent was obtained for all patients and normal volunteers.…”

Contribution of PET Studies in Diagnosis of Corticobasal Degeneration

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