Increase of glucose consumption in basal ganglia, thalamus and frontal cortex of patients with spasmodic torticollis

Journal Article · Sun May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · Journal of Nuclear Medicine

OSTI ID:197974

Grassi, F; Bressi, S; Antoni, M ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Milan (Italy); and others

The pathophysiology of spasmodic torticollis, a focal dystonia involving neck muscles, is still unclear. Positron emission tomography (PET) studies showed either an increase as well as a decrease of regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (rCMRglu) in basal ganglia. In the present study, [18F]FDG and PET was used to measure rCMRglu in 10 patients with spasmodic torticollis (mean age 50.37 {plus_minus} 11.47) and 10 age matched controls. All cases with a short disease duration, were untreated. A factorial analysis of variance revealed a significant bilateral increase of glucose consumption in caudate nucleus and pallidum/putamen complex (p>0.004) and in the cerebellum (p>0.001). The rCMRglu increase in the motor/premotor cortex and in the thalamus reached a trend towards significance (p<0.05). These preliminary data show enhanced metabolism in basal ganglia and cerebellum as the functional correlate of focal dystonia. A recently proposed model suggests that dystonia would be the consequence of a putaminal hyperactivity, leading to the breakdown of the pallidal inhibitory control on thalamus and thalamo-cortical projections.

• OSTI ID: 197974
• Report Number(s): CONF-940605--
• Journal Information: Journal of Nuclear Medicine, Journal Name: Journal of Nuclear Medicine Journal Issue: Suppl.5 Vol. 35; ISSN JNMEAQ; ISSN 0161-5505
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

55 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BASIC STUDIES
CEREBELLUM
FLUORINE 18
FLUORODEOXYGLUCOSE
GLUCOSE
METABOLISM
MUSCLES
NECK
NERVOUS SYSTEM DISEASES
PATHOLOGY
PATIENTS
POSITRON COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY