title: Abnormal cerebral glucose metabolism in alternating hemiplegia of childhood.
abstract: Alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) is a rare and intractable disorder of unknown cause. To determine cerebral neuronal function in five patients with AHC (two adults and three children), we analyzed brain glucose metabolism by positron emission tomography (PET) using 2-deoxy-2 [(18)F] fluoro-d-glucose (FDG), performed between hemiplegic attacks. Interictal FDG-PET revealed abnormal cerebral glucose metabolism; all patients showed low glucose metabolism in the frontal lobes with some laterality, and three had low glucose metabolism in the ipsilateral putamen. The adult patients also showed low glucose metabolism and mild atrophy in the cerebellum. Glucose metabolism in the brainstem was virtually normal for all patients. The areas of low glucose metabolism indicated local or regional neuronal damage, possible reflecting progressive neurological symptoms. AHC might therefore result from focal abnormal glucose metabolism in the brain occurring progressively or permanently, particularly in the frontal lobes and the cerebellum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Neurology, National Center Hospital for Mental, Nervous and Muscular Disorders, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawahigashi-cho, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan. masasaki@ncnp.go.jp
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakuma
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Ken-ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohnishi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007839:Functional Laterality; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods; D011699:Putamen / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D005947:Glucose