title: Neuronal loss associated with cognitive performance in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: an (11C)-flumazenil PET study.
abstract: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multi-system disorder. Mild cognitive deficits are present in a subgroup of non-demented patients with ALS. Detailed neuropsychological assessments reveal deficits of word retrieval including impairments on tests of verbal fluency and confrontation naming. The PET GABA(A) receptor ligand [11C]-flumazenil is a marker of neuronal dysfunction in ALS. This study used [11C]-flumazenil PET to identify correlations between cortical regions and impairments in word retrieval. Twelve patients with ALS underwent [11C]-flumazenil PET and neuropsychological assessment, including tests of written letter fluency and confrontation naming. Poorer performance on verbal fluency correlated with decreased [11C]-flumazenil binding in a region including the right inferior frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and anterior insula. Poorer performance on a test of confrontation naming correlated with decreased binding in the left middle frontal gyrus (extending to Broca's area) and left cuneus. This study indicates that [11C]-flumazenil PET can be used to help localize cortical regions associated with cognitive deficits in ALS.
authors.affiliation: MRC Centre for Neurodegeneration Research, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Psychology, London.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wicks
authors.forename: Martin R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abrahams
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hammers
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: P Nigel
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Leigh
authors.forename: Laura H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Goldstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000523:psychology; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005442:Flumazenil; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009474:Neurons / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D005442:Flumazenil