Hypermetabolism in the ventrolateral thalamus in unilateral Parkinsonian resting tremor: a positron emission tomography study.
Tremorogenesis in Parkinson's disease (PD) is assumed to involve a cerebral network including the thalamus. An imaging study was performed on eight PD patients with strictly unilateral resting tremor using fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography coregistered to 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging. Increased metabolic activity of high statistical significance (P<0.001) was found in the anterior ventrolateral nuclear group of the thalamus located contralateral to the tremor side. The metabolic changes significantly covaried with tremor amplitudes. For the first time, it could be demonstrated that thalamic metabolic changes associated with tremor in PD are localized in the ventral lateral anterior nucleus (VLa). The results are discussed with respect to previous studies on tremor generation.
Kassubek
J
J
Department of Neurology, University of Freiburg, Breisacher Strasse 64, 79106, Freiburg, Germany. kassubek@nz.ukl.uni-freiburg.de
Juengling
F D
FD
Hellwig
B
B
Knauff
M
M
Spreer
J
J
Lücking
C H
CH
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014202:Tremor / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D020651:Ventral Thalamic Nuclei / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18