title: Emotional impairment in a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a (99m)Tc-HMPAO SPET brain study.
abstract: Behavioral abnormalities have been reported in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) but their aetiology is not yet clearly defined. We report on the case of a 48 years old woman with long standing bulbar onset ALS referred to our department for brain perfusion scan for the evaluation of behavioral and emotional disorders. The patient's scores on the neuropsychological tests were satisfactory while magnetic resonance imaging showed no structural brain abnormalities. However, cerebral blood flow imaging with single photon emission tomography with technetium-99m-hexamethyl propylamine oxime demonstrated bilateral frontal cortex hypoperfusion, as well as perfusion defects in the left parietal, temporal and occipital lobes. In conclusion, the reduced regional cerebral blood flow in the frontal lobes might be suggestive of underlying cortical disturbance and potentially explain the patient's symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Aristotle University School of Medicine, Hippokration Hospital, Greece. christos_saxpe@yahoo.gr
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sachpekidis
authors.forename: Haralampos
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sideris
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Svoukas
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tsechelidis
authors.forename: Vasileios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sachpekidis
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haritou
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Notopoulos
authors.forename: Constantinos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Karakatsanis
mesh_terms: D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime