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Cortical abnormalities in Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Foster Norman L.,
Chase Thomas N.,
Mansi Luigi,
Brooks Rodney,
Fedio Paul,
Patronas Nicholas J.,
Di Chiro Giovanni
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410160605
Subject(s) - dementia , alzheimer's disease , positron emission tomography , cerebral cortex , cortex (anatomy) , degenerative disease , posterior parietal cortex , disease , neuroscience , medicine , carbohydrate metabolism , temporal cortex , central nervous system disease , psychology
Regional cerebral glucose metabolism, an index of neuronal activity, was compared in 20 patients with Alzheimer's disease and 8 age‐matched normal volunteers by positron emission tomography following { 18 F}2‐fluoro‐2‐deoxy‐D‐glucose administration. Overall cortical glucose utilization in the Alzheimer's group was 10 to 49% below that of control individuals. The posterior parietal cortex and contiguous portions of posterior temporal and anterior occipital lobes were most severely affected; frontal cortex was relatively spared. This pattern of cortical involvement is consistent with the major clinical features of Alzheimer's disease. Comparison of patients with early and more advanced dementia suggested that a substantial decline in glucose metabolism occurs before cognitive impairment becomes evident; once the patient is symptomatic, however, small additional metabolic decrements are associated with a marked deterioration in intellectual function.