Reversible alcohol-related dementia: a five-year follow-up study using FDG-PET and neuropsychological tests.
OBJECTIVE
As the pathophysiology of alcohol-related dementia (ARD) is unclear, we examined a patient with reversible ARD using neuropsychological tests and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET).


METHODS



METHODS
A five-year follow-up case study with neuropsychological tests and FDG-PET.


METHODS
Kyoto University Hospital. Patients A 42-year-old patient who was unable to perform his office duties because of slowly progressive amnesia with executive dysfunction.


RESULTS
The initial evaluation with neuropsychological tests showed severe verbal memory disturbance. The patient did not discuss his excessive alcohol consumption in the initial history-taking session and thiamine deficiency was absent; therefore, early-stage Alzheimer's disease was suspected. Later, the patient revealed prior excessive alcohol intake and his cognitive function improved markedly after a period of abstinence. Retrospective analysis of initial FDG-PET images using a voxel-wise statistical method revealed glucose hypometabolism in the diencephalon and basal forebrain. Follow-up for 5 years after the initial evaluation showed improved cognitive function and recovery of glucose metabolism in the two brain regions.


CONCLUSIONS
Hypofunction in the diencephalon and basal forebrain was associated with cognitive decline in our patient. This case may provide evidence for the etiopathic brain regions in reversible type ARD.
Human Brain Research Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto.
Tomohiko
T
Asada
Shigetoshi
S
Takaya
Yoshihiro
Y
Takayama
Hiroshi
H
Yamauchi
Kazuo
K
Hashikawa
Hidenao
H
Fukuyama
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D003704:Dementia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004027:Diencephalon / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D020915:Korsakoff Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013695:Temperance
D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18