PET study and neuropsychological assessment of a long-lasting post-encephalitic parkinsonism.
A 76-year old woman was affected by lethargic encephalitis in 1918, at the age of 3 months. Long-term clinical follow-up with late neuropsychological evaluation revealed post-encephalitic parkinsonism, which worsened very slowly and was improved by levodopa. Obsessive and compulsive disorders (OCD) were associated to nosophobia. Neuropsychological evaluation showed mild visuocontructional memory deficit, which was isolated. 18 Fluoro-Dopa PET demonstrated a severe bilateral and symmetrical reduction in fluoro-dopa uptake, which was more marked in the putamen than in the caudate. Thus, the pattern of dopaminergic denervation was similar to the one observed in idiopathic Parkinson's disease.
Department of Neurology, CHU Pointe à Pitre, French West Indies.
D
D
Caparros-Lefebvre
M
M
Cabaret
O
O
Godefroy
M
M
Steinling
P
P
Rémy
Y
Y
Samson
H
H
Petit
D000368:Aged; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004671:Encephalitis, Arbovirus / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; C043437:fluorodopa F 18; D007980:Levodopa; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine