title: Progressive loss of speech output and orofacial dyspraxia associated with frontal lobe hypometabolism.
abstract: Three patients are described with slowly progressive loss of speech and dysarthria associated with orofacial dyspraxia, initially with intact written language, who subsequently developed more widespread cognitive abnormalities. Positron emission tomography (PET) revealed bifrontal hypometabolism in all of the patients, most marked in the inferior and lateral portions of both frontal lobes, with some extension into the parietal and temporal cortices in one case. These patients may represent a further example of focal progressive cortical degeneration.
authors.affiliation: MRC Cyclotron Unit, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Tyrrell
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Kartsounis
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Frackowiak
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Findley
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Rossor
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001072:Apraxias / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D004401:Dysarthria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000502:physiology; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology