title: Functional caudate imaging in symptomatic Huntington's disease: positron emission tomography versus single-photon emission computed tomography.
abstract: Functional neuroimaging with positron emission tomography previously demonstrated reduced caudate glucose metabolism in virtually all symptomatic patients with Huntington's disease (HD). Single-photon emission computed tomography studies of brain blood flow also have shown caudate abnormalities in patients with HD. The present study compared these two functional imaging modalities in 6 patients with HD who had been symptomatic for fewer than 5 years. All patients had significantly impaired caudate-thalamus and caudate-whole-slice glucose metabolism ratios as measured by positron emission tomography. However, only 3 had clearly abnormal caudate-thalamus activity ratios and 2 had clearly abnormal caudate-whole-slice ratios on single-photon emission computed tomography. These findings indicate that single-photon emission computed tomography imaging of caudate blood flow is a less sensitive indicator of caudate dysfunction in early HD than is positron emission tomography imaging of caudate glucose metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Neurology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoskinson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kremer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maguire
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McEwan
mesh_terms: D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D013788:Thalamus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014227:Triazines / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D014227:Triazines; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D003847:Deoxyglucose; D000077213:Lamotrigine