Topographic brain mapping of the international cooperative ataxia rating scale. A positron emission tomography study.
The International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) is a 100-point semiquantitative scale designed primarily to assess cerebellar dysfunction. However, little is known of the metric properties of this scale. We assessed the ICARS by rating the severity of cerebellar dysfunction in 27 patients with spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA), three patients with sporadic olivopontocerebellar ataxia and 24 healthy control subjects. [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) study was also performed on each subject. The statistical parametric mapping analyses revealed a significant correlation between the ICARS scores and functional impairment of the frontal regions within SCA patients. The glucose metabolism in the cerebellum, thalamus and caudate nucleus had significant differences between SCA patients and healthy control subjects. The results suggested that the clinical severity of SCA patients correlated with the functional impairment in the frontal regions, the targets of cerebellar efferent projections.
Wang
Po-Shan
PS
The Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, #201, Sec.2, Shipai Road, Taipei, Taiwan 11217.
Liu
Ren-Shyan
RS
Yang
Bang-Hung
BH
Soong
Bing-Wen
BW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009849:Olivopontocerebellar Atrophies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020754:Spinocerebellar Ataxias / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18