title: Functional preservation of benzodiazepine receptors of the primary somatosensory cortex in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a pharmacologic-evoked potential study.
abstract: In previous studies, we demonstrated that the benzodiazepine (BZP) receptors of the visual system are functionally preserved in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). We hypothesized that such a functional preservation is not confined to the visual system. In a 74-year-old woman suffering from CJD, three consecutive recording sessions of somatosensory cortical evoked potentials (SEPs) by right median nerve stimulation were carried out: (a) basal condition, without any pharmacologic treatment; (b) 1 min after i.v. administration of 10 mg diazepam (DZP); (c) 2.5 min after i.v. administration of 3 mg FMZ, a high-affinity receptor benzodiazepine antagonist. DZP greatly decreased the amplitude of SEP early components, whereas flumazenil (FMZ) reversed such an effect. The results of this study, paralleling our previous findings on the visual system in CJD, demonstrated functional preservation of BZP receptors in the somatosensory pathways as well.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, University of Reggio Calabria, Italy.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Aguglia
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Oliveri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gambardella
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Talerico
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zappia
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: De Sarro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quattrone
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000187:drug effects*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005442:Flumazenil / Q000494:pharmacology; D018757:GABA Modulators / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D018757:GABA Modulators; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D005442:Flumazenil; D003975:Diazepam