Regional cerebral blood flow patterns and response to donepezil treatment in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
We attempted to identify the characteristic patterns in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) of patients with Alzheimer's disease who responded to donepezil therapy. Sixty-one patients treated with donepezil were divided into two groups (responders and nonresponders) on the basis of changes in their Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores from baseline to study endpoint. We analyzed single-photon emission computed tomography data (SPECT) at baseline using three-dimensional stereotactic surface projections and compared differences in rCBF between the two groups. Statistical maps showed a significantly lower rCBF of the lateral and medial frontal lobes in the nonresponders than in the responders. There was a significant inverse correlation between the relative rCBF reduction in the frontal lobe and the MMSE change. These results suggest that frontal function, as assessed by SPECT, affects the patient's response to treatment with donepezil. Measuring rCBF may aid in the selection of possible treatment responders.
Hanyu
Haruo
H
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan. hanyu@mb.kcom.ne.jp
Shimizu
Takeshi
T
Tanaka
Yuriko
Y
Takasaki
Masaru
M
Koizumi
Kiyoshi
K
Abe
Kimihiko
K
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077265:Donepezil; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007189:Indans / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010880:Piperidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D007189:Indans; D010880:Piperidines; D000077265:Donepezil