Is there a typical pattern of brain SPECT imaging in Alzheimer's disease?
The identification of new nosological forms such as Lewy body disease (LBD) requires a re-evaluation of the patterns observed in brain functional imaging in the various forms of dementia. We studied 60 demented patients, divided into three groups and fulfilling the clinical criteria for Alzheimer's disease (AD), LBD and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), using Tc-HMPAO and a brain-dedicated SPECT system. After normalisation we applied a cut-off at two levels according to previously established criteria. We reaffirmed the already established data concerning FTD (mainly a bilateral frontal decrease) and for LBD (a severe diffuse decrease in the frontal regions and also in the posterior association cortex). In contrast, the decrease in AD was strictly limited to the parieto-occipital cortex, irrespective of the severity of the cognitive decline. We hypothesise that the major simplification concerning the pattern observed in AD can be explained by the fact that patients suffering from LBD have previously been included in the groups of AD patients.
Steinling
M
M
Brain Functional Imaging Unit, University Hospital, CHRU de Lille, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Lille-II, F-59037 Lille Cedex, France. msteinling@chru-lille.fr
Defebvre
L
L
Duhamel
A
A
Lecouffe
P
P
Lavenu
I
I
Pasquier
F
F
Charpentier
P
P
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D003704:Dementia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020961:Lewy Body Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime