title: Brain single-photon emission tomography with technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime in adolescents with initial-stage schizophrenia.
abstract: The objective of this study was to search for regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) abnormalities in adolescents with initial-stage schizophrenia by means of brain single-photon emission tomography (SPET) using technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (HMPAO). SPET studies were performed on a homogeneous sample of 15 carefully selected adolescents with a recent diagnosis of schizophrenia, and without previous electroconvulsive or antipsychotic drug treatment. Computed tomography (CT) and electro-encephalographic (EEG) studies were performed in all patients. Qualitative and semiquantitative analysis of 99mTc-HMPAO SPET studies showed an impaired rCBF in 12 patients (80%). The most common pattern was a decreased uptake of 99mTc-HMPAO in the frontal lobes, usually in the left hemisphere. Conventional and quantitative EEG was positive in 12 (80%) and 15 (100%) patients, respectively. CT findings were positive in two patients (13%). There was a high level of concordance between SPET and EEG results and between SPET and clinical features (P>0.05). This study suggests that previously untreated patients in the first stages of schizophrenia present functional abnormalities that are revealed by brain SPET.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones Clínicas, C. Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Galiano
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sosa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perera
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pérez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime