Positron emission tomography in aging and dementia: effect of cerebral atrophy

Journal Article · Tue Mar 31 23:00:00 EST 1987 · J. Nucl. Med.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6408286

Chawluk, J B; Alavi, A; Dann, R; Hurtig, H I; Bais, S; Kushner, M J; Zimmerman, R A; Reivich, M

The spatial resolution of current positron emission tomography (PET) scanners does not allow a distinction between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) containing spaces and contiguous brain tissue. Data analysis strategies which therefore purport to quantify cerebral metabolism per unit mass brain tissue are in fact measuring a value which may be artifactually reduced due to contamination by CSF. We studied cerebral glucose metabolism (CMRglc) in 17 healthy elderly individuals and 24 patients with Alzheimer's dementia using (/sup 18/F)fluorodeoxyglucose and PET. All subjects underwent x-ray computed tomography (XCT) scanning at the time of their PET study. The XCT scans were analyzed volumetrically, in order to determine relative areas for ventricles, sulci, and brain tissue. Global CMRglc was calculated before and after correction for contamination by CSF (cerebral atrophy). A greater increase in global CMRglc after atrophy correction was seen in demented individuals compared with elderly controls (16.9% versus 9.0%, p less than 0.0005). Additional preliminary data suggest that volumetric analysis of proton-NMR images may prove superior to analysis of XCT data in quantifying the degree of atrophy. Appropriate corrections for atrophy should be employed if current PET scanners are to accurately measure actual brain tissue metabolism in various pathologic states.

• Research Organization: Hospital of the Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• OSTI ID: 6408286
• Journal Information: J. Nucl. Med.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Nucl. Med.; (United States) Vol. 4; ISSN JNMEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
AGING
ALDEHYDES
ATROPHY
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
BRAIN
CARBOHYDRATES
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CEREBROSPINAL FLUID
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
DIAGNOSIS
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DISEASES
EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
FLUORINE 18
FLUORINE ISOTOPES
GLUCOSE
HEXOSES
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MATERIALS
METABOLISM
MONOSACCHARIDES
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NERVOUS SYSTEM DISEASES
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
POSITRON COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
RADIOISOTOPES
RESOLUTION
SACCHARIDES
SPATIAL RESOLUTION
TOMOGRAPHY