Effects of haloperidol challenge on regional cerebral glucose utilization in normal human subjects.
OBJECTIVE
Positron emission tomography and the fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) method were used to determine the brain's metabolic response to neuroleptic challenge in a normal, disease-free state.


METHODS
FDG measurements were obtained before and 12 hours after administration of 5 mg of haloperidol to 12 young normal men. These values were compared with test-retest FDG measures obtained from nine normal male control subjects who received no drug intervention.


RESULTS
After haloperidol administration, the haloperidol subjects showed significantly lower glucose utilization in the neocortex, limbic cortex, thalamus, and caudate nucleus but not in the putamen or cerebellum. After adjustment for global effects, significant reductions were still evident in the frontal, occipital, and anterior cingulate cortex, whereas the putamen and cerebellum showed significant increases.


CONCLUSIONS
This study, measuring the brain's metabolic response to acute receptor blockade, is a first step in the development of an assay of CNS pharmacological activity. By determining the response to neuroleptic challenge in a normal state, the study establishes a comparison group for determining response to challenge in various psychiatric conditions.
Bartlett
E J
EJ
Department of Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, NY 10016.
Brodie
J D
JD
Simkowitz
P
P
Dewey
S L
SL
Rusinek
H
H
Wolf
A P
AP
Fowler
J S
JS
Volkow
N D
ND
Smith
G
G
Wolkin
A
A
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008032:Limbic System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D011699:Putamen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013788:Thalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D003847:Deoxyglucose; D005947:Glucose; D006220:Haloperidol