Novel insertional presenilin 1 mutation causing Alzheimer disease with spastic paraparesis.

A four-generation pedigree exhibiting early-onset autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease (AD) with spastic paraplegia, dystonia, and dysarthria due to a novel 6-nucleotide insertional mutation in exon 3 of the presenilin 1 gene (PS1) is described. Serial examinations, PET scans, and autopsy revealed that the mutation in this highly conserved portion of PS1 causes an aggressive dementia that maintains the usual regional hierarchy of disease pathology while extending abnormalities into more widespread brain areas than typically seen in AD.

Dual-[11C]tracer single-acquisition positron emission tomography studies.

The ability to study multiple physiologic processes of the brain simultaneously within the same subject would provide a new means to explore the interactions between neurotransmitter systems in vivo. Currently, examination of two distinct neuropharmacologic measures with positron emission tomography (PET) necessitates performing two separate scans spaced in time to allow for radionuclide decay. The authors present results from a dual-tracer PET study protocol using a single dynamic-scan acquisition where the injections of two tracers are offset by several minutes. Kinetic analysis is used to estimate neuropharmacologic parameters for both tracers simultaneously using a combined compartmental model configuration. This approach results in a large reduction in total study time of nearly 2 hours for carbon-11-labeled tracers. As multiple neuropharmacologic measures are obtained at nearly the same time, interventional protocols involving a pair of dual-tracer scans become feasible in a single PET session. Both computer simulations and actual human PET studies were performed using combinations of three different tracers: [11C]flumazenil, N-[11C]methylpiperidinyl propionate, and [ 11 C]dihydrotetrabenazine. Computer simulations of tracer-injection separations of 10 to 30 minutes showed the feasibility of the approach for separations down to 15 to 20 minutes or less. Dual-tracer PET studies were performed in 32 healthy volunteers using injection separations of 10, 15, or 20 minutes. Model parameter estimates for each tracer were similar to those obtained from previously performed single-injection studies. Voxel-by-voxel parametric images were of good quality for injections spaced by 20 minutes and were nearly as good for 15-minute separations, but were degraded noticeably for some model parameters when injections were spaced by only 10 minutes. The authors conclude that dual-tracer single-scan PET is feasible, yields accurate estimates of multiple neuropharmacologic measures, and can be implemented with a number of different radiotracer pairs.

Alzheimer's disease versus dementia with Lewy bodies: cerebral metabolic distinction with autopsy confirmation.

Seeking antemortem markers to distinguish Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), we examined brain glucose metabolism of DLB and AD. Eleven DLB patients (7 Lewy body variant of AD [LBVAD] and 4 pure diffuse Lewy body disease [DLBD]) who had antemortem position emission tomography imaging and autopsy confirmation were compared to 10 autopsy-confirmed pure AD patients. In addition, 53 patients with clinically-diagnosed probable AD, 13 of whom later fulfilled clinical diagnoses of DLB, were examined. Autopsy-confirmed AD and DLB patients showed significant metabolic reductions involving parietotemporal association, posterior cingulate, and frontal association cortices. Only DLB patients showed significant metabolic reductions in the occipital cortex, particularly in the primary visual cortex (LBVAD -23% and DLBD -29% vs AD -8%), which distinguished DLB versus AD with 90% sensitivity and 80% specificity. Multivariate analysis revealed that occipital metabolic changes in DLB were independent from those in the adjacent parietotemporal cortices. Analysis of clinically diagnosed probable AD patients showed a significantly higher frequency of primary visual metabolic reduction among patients who fulfilled later dinical criteria for DLB. In these patients, occipital hypometabolism preceded some clinical features of DLB. Occipital hypometabolism is a potential antemortem marker to distinguish DLB versus AD.

Statistical brain mapping of 18F-FDG PET in Alzheimer's disease: validation of anatomic standardization for atrophied brains.

UNLABELLED: Despite the increased use of statistical mapping to detect brain functional changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD), potential artifacts introduced by stereotactic anatomic standardization of atrophied brains have not been examined carefully. We investigated the effects of anatomic standardization by Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) and NEUROSTAT. METHODS: First, 10 AD patients and 10 age-matched healthy volunteers underwent 18F-FDG brain PET imaging. Each image set was standardized to a stereotactic brain template using SPM or NEUROSTAT, followed by pixel normalization to the global or cerebellar activity. Within-group comparisons of standardized image sets by each method and a between-group comparison of healthy volunteers and AD patients were performed using the statistical analysis routines of SPM. Second, simulated PET image sets were generated from segmented MR image sets of 5 healthy volunteers and 5 AD patients. Using the anatomic standardization parameters estimated on the simulated image sets, original gray matter MR image sets were transformed to the stereotactic coordinate system. Between-group subtraction analyses of the transformed gray matter image sets between healthy volunteers and AD groups were performed to examine the accuracy of cortical gray matter matching. RESULTS: Between-group comparison by SPM or NEUROSTAT showed generally similar areas of hypometabolism in bilateral temporoparietal, posterior cingulate, and left frontal cortices. Both methods showed possible deformation artifacts in the anterior part of the corpus callosum. The localization of the peak hypometabolism varied considerably between the two methods when global normalization was applied. The use of a common brain template for standardization resulted in asymmetric differences in cortical margins, indicating systematic differences in the deformation algorithms. The realistic simulation study revealed gray matter mismatches to be 20% greater with SPM than with NEUROSTAT. CONCLUSION: Although different statistical mapping methods may yield grossly similar patterns of hypometabolism in AD, the extent, severity, and peak location of metabolic changes can be inconsistent. Deformation accuracy appears to be more prone to atrophy. These limitations need to be considered carefully in the application and interpretation of brain mapping analysis in atrophied brains.

Radiolabeled cholinesterase substrates: in vitro methods for determining structure-activity relationships and identification of a positron emission tomography radiopharmaceutical for in vivo measurement of butyrylcholinesterase activity.

There is currently great interest in developing radiolabeled substrates for acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase that would be useful in the in vivo imaging of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Using a simple in vitro spectrophotometric assay for determination of enzymatic cleavage rates, the structure-activity relationship for a short series of 1-methyl-4-piperidinyl esters was investigated. Relative enzymatic hydrolysis rates for the well-characterized 1-methyl-4-piperidinyl acetate, propionate, and i-butyrate esters were in agreement with literature values. The 4 and 5 carbon esters of 1-methyl-4-piperidinol were specific for butyrylcholinesterase and cleaved in the rank order n-valerate > n-butyrate >> 2-methylbutyrate, iso-valerate. These spectrophotometric results were also in agreement with in vitro hydrolysis rates in mouse blood and with in vivo regional retention of radioactivity in mouse brain of 11C-labeled analogs. Brain uptake and apparent enzymatic rate constants for 1-[11C]methyl-4-piperidinyl n-butyrate and n-valerate were calculated from in vivo measurements in M. nemistrina using positron emission tomography. Based on higher brain uptake of radioactivity and superior pharmacokinetics, 1-[11C]methyl-4-piperidinyl n-butyrate was identified as a new radiopharmaceutical for the in vivo measurement of butyrylcholinesterase activity.

Effects of long-term hormone therapy on cholinergic synaptic concentrations in healthy postmenopausal women.

Experimental evidence suggests that gonadal steroids regulate brain neurochemical systems associated with cognitive function, such as the cholinergic system. This study examines the effect of long-term postmenopausal hormone therapy on the brain concentrations of cholinergic synaptic terminals in women using single photon emission computed tomography and the radiotracer [(123)I]iodobenzovesamicol ([(123)I]IBVM). [(123)I]IBVM labels the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) located in the presynaptic terminals of these neurons. Sixteen healthy women treated with hormone therapy since the menopause and 12 women not treated with hormones were studied. There were no significant differences in regional IBVM binding indexes between the 2 groups. The length of hormone replacement therapy correlated positively with VAChT binding indexes in multiple cortical areas (P < 0.05): frontal cortex (Spearman rank correlation: rho = 0.79), parietal cortex (rho = 0.62), temporal cortex (rho = 0.80), anterior cingulate (rho = 0.71), and posterior cingulate (rho = 0.63), but not in the basal ganglia (rho = 0.35; P = 0.2). An earlier onset of menopause in hormone-treated women was associated with higher VAChT indexes in the anterior cingulate (rho = -0.56; P = 0.02) and posterior cingulate (rho = -0.63; P = 0.01). The opposite was found in the posterior cingulate of women not treated with hormones (rho = 0.58; P = 0.04). Women treated with estrogen alone also showed higher VAChT indexes than women treated with estrogen and progestin in the posterior cingulate cortex (by Mann-Whitney U test: z = 2.42; P = 0.015). Although an overall effect of postmenopausal hormone therapy was not found, associations between an index of cortical cholinergic terminal concentrations and the length of hormonal replacement suggest that hormone therapy may influence the survival or plasticity of these cells in postmenopausal women. The data also suggest possible differential effects of estrogen and estrogen with progestin treatments in brain areas critical for cognitive processing.

Assessment of muscarinic receptor concentrations in aging and Alzheimer disease with [11C]NMPB and PET.

Cerebral cholinergic deficits have been described in Alzheimer disease (AD) and as a result of normal aging. At the present time, there are very limited options for the quantification of cholinergic receptors with in vivo imaging techniques such as PET. In the present study, we examined the feasibility of utilizing [11C]N-methyl-4-piperidyl benzilate (NMPB), a nonselective muscarinic receptor ligand, in the study of aging and neurodegenerative processes associated with cholinergic dysfunction. Based on prior data describing the accuracy of various kinetic methods, we examined the concentration of muscarinic receptors with [11C]NMPB and PET using two- and three-compartment kinetic models. Eighteen healthy subjects and six patients diagnosed with probable AD were studied. Pixel-by-pixel two-compartment model fits showed acceptable precision in the study of normal aging, with comparable results to those obtained with a more complex and less precise three-compartment model. Normal aging was associated with a reduction in muscarinic receptor binding in neocortical regions and thalamus. In AD patients, the three-compartment model appeared capable of dissociating changes in tracer transport from changes in receptor binding, but suffered from statistical uncertainty, requiring normalization to a reference region, and therefore limiting its potential use in the study of neurodegenerative processes. After normalization, no regional changes in muscarinic receptor concentrations were observed in AD.

Three-dimensional stereotactic surface projection analysis of macaque brain PET: development and initial applications.

UNLABELLED: To characterize better the local brain functions of conscious rhesus macaques, we developed automated image analysis techniques for monkey PET images, examined the cerebral glucose metabolism of monkeys, and compared it with that of humans. METHODS: Glucose metabolic PET images from 11 monkeys were obtained using a high-resolution animal PET scanner after intravenous administration of FDG. T1-weighted MR images were obtained from 6 of the monkeys. Referencing a bicommissural stereotactic macaque brain atlas, we created a PET brain template using coregistered MR images. Each individual PET image set was transformed to the PET template through an automated affine transformation, followed by nonlinear warping along the directions of the major neuronal fiber bundles in the brain. For minimization of residual anatomic variability, metabolic activities were extracted using 3-dimensional stereotactic surface projections. The effects of anatomic standardization were evaluated using MR images. Patterns of cerebral glucose metabolism of young versus aged monkeys were examined. The metabolic activities of aged monkeys were compared with those of elderly healthy human volunteers that had been analyzed similarly. RESULTS: Anatomic standardization reduced individuals' anatomic variability as evidenced by a reduction in the number of MR pixels with higher SDs calculated across monkeys. Coefficient-of-variation maps of conscious monkeys revealed that the greatest metabolic variances were near the central sulci and occipital cortices. Age-associated glucose metabolic reductions were most pronounced in the occipital lobe, caudate nucleus, and temporal lobe. Compared with human brains, the monkey frontal lobe and posterior cingulate gyrus had significantly less metabolic activity and the supramarginal gyrus and vermis had significantly more metabolic activity. CONCLUSION: The proposed method permits pixel-by-pixel characterization of the metabolic activities of rhesus macaque brains in the stereotactic coordinate system. Greater metabolic variances in the central sulcus region and occipital lobe suggest potential difficulties in controlling sensory input and motor output or planning in conscious monkey experiments. The analyses revealed age-related metabolic reductions in monkeys and marked differences in metabolic patterns between aged monkey brains and aged human brains. The proposed brain-mapping technique enables reproducible and observer-independent analyses and will serve as an important investigative tool for primate brain imaging research.

Limited donepezil inhibition of acetylcholinesterase measured with positron emission tomography in living Alzheimer cerebral cortex.

Based on surrogate assays of peripheral red blood cells, reports state that widely prescribed doses of donepezil hydrochloride provide nearly complete inhibition of cerebral cortical acetylcholinesterase activity in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). To test this, direct positron emission tomography measures of cerebral acetylcholinesterase activity were made in AD patients before and after treatment with donepezil (5 and 10 mg/day) for at least 5 weeks and compared with similar measures in normal controls who were untreated or after acute administration of another AChE inhibitor, physostigmine salicylate (1.5 mg/hr). After physostigmine, acetylcholinesterase inhibition averaged 52% in normal cerebral cortex. After donepezil, cerebral cortical inhibition in AD brain averaged only 27%. Clinical trials of this donepezil dose schedule are not testing the effect of nearly complete cerebral cortical inhibition.

Decreased striatal monoaminergic terminals in Huntington disease.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the integrity of the dorsal striatal dopaminergic innervation in rigid and choreic Huntington disease (HD). BACKGROUND: Some patients with HD have an akinetic-rigid phenotype. It has been suggested that nigrostriatal in addition to striatal pathology is present in this subgroup. The authors sought to determine whether in vivo measures of striatal vesicular monoamine transporter type-2 (VMAT2) binding could distinguish patients with akinetic-rigid (HDr) from typical choreiform (HDc) HD. METHODS: Nineteen patients with HD (mean age 48 +/- 16 years) and 64 normal controls (mean age 50 +/- 14 years) underwent (+)-alpha-[11C]dihydrotetrabenazine (DTBZ) PET imaging. DTBZ blood to brain ligand transport (K1) and tissue to plasma distribution volume (DV) in the caudate nucleus, anterior putamen, and posterior putamen were normalized to the occipital cortex. RESULTS: The normalized striatal specific DV was reduced in HDr (n = 6) when compared with controls: caudate nucleus -33% (p < 0.001), anterior putamen -56% (p < 0.0001), and posterior putamen -75% (p < 0.0001). Patients with HDc (n = 13) also had reduced striatal DV: caudate nucleus -6% (NS), anterior putamen -19% (p < 0.01), and posterior putamen -35% (p < 0.0001). Patients with HDr had significantly lower striatal (+)-alpha-[11C]DTBZ binding than HDc patients. After correction for tissue atrophy effects, normalized DV differences were less significant, with values somewhat increased in the caudate, slightly reduced in the anterior putamen, and moderately decreased in the posterior putamen. There were no significant regional differences in K1 reductions among caudate, anterior, and posterior putamen in HD. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced striatal VMAT2 binding suggests nigrostriatal pathology in HD, most severely in the HDr phenotype. Striatal DV reductions were most prominent in the posterior putamen, similar to PD.

PET measures of benzodiazepine receptors in progressive supranuclear palsy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the integrity of neurons containing benzodiazepine receptors in metabolically affected regions of the brain in patients with clinically diagnosed progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). METHODS: The cerebral distribution of [11C]flumazenil (FMZ), a ligand that binds to the gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptor, and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), a measure of local cerebral glucose metabolism, was determined with PET in 12 patients with PSP and 10 normal control subjects. Tracer kinetic analysis was applied to quantify data and analysis was performed using three-dimensional stereotactic surface projections and stereotactically determined volumes of interest. RESULTS: There was a global reduction in FMZ binding of 13%, with a reduction in the anterior cingulate gyrus of 20% (p = 0.004), where glucose metabolic rates also showed the greatest reduction. CONCLUSIONS: PSP causes loss of benzodiazepine receptors in the cerebral cortex. Consistent with postmortem studies, the authors did not find significant changes in FMZ binding in subcortical nuclei that exhibit the most pathologic change. This study suggests that both loss of intrinsic neurons containing benzodiazepine receptors and deafferentation of the cerebral cortex from distant brain regions contribute to cerebral cortical hypometabolism in PSP.

Assessment of extrastriatal vesicular monoamine transporter binding site density using stereoisomers of [11C]dihydrotetrabenazine.

Previous studies have demonstrated the utility of [11C]dihydrotetrabenazine ([11C]DTBZ) as a ligand for in vivo imaging of the vesicular monoamine transporter system. The (+)-isomer has a high affinity (approximately 1 nmol/L) for the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2) binding site, whereas the (-)-isomer has an extremely low affinity (approximately 2 micromol/L). Efforts to model dynamic (+)-[11C]DTBZ data demonstrate the difficulty in separating the specific binding component from the free plus nonspecific component of the total positron emission tomography (PET) measure. The authors' previous PET work, as well as in vitro studies, indicate that there is little specific VMAT2 binding in neocortical regions. However, precise determination of in vivo binding levels have not been made, leaving important questions unanswered. At one extreme, is there sufficient specific binding in cortex or other extrastriate regions to be estimated reliably with PET? At the other extreme, is there sufficiently little binding in cortex so that it can be used as a reference region representing nonsaturable tracer uptake? The authors address these questions using paired studies with both active (+) and inactive (-) stereoisomers of [11C]DTBZ. Six normal control subjects were scanned twice, 2 hours apart, after injections of 16 mCi of (+)- and (-)-[11C]DTBZ (order counter-balanced). Three-dimensional PET acquisition consisted of 15 frames over 60 minutes for each scan. Arterial samples were acquired throughout, plasma counted, and corrected for radiolabeled metabolites. Analysis of specific binding was assessed by comparison of total distribution volume measures from the (+)- and (-)-[11C]DTBZ scans. The authors' findings indicate that only approximately 5% of the cortical signal in (+)-[11C]DTBZ scans results from binding to VMAT2 sites. The strongest extrastriatal signal comes from the midbrain regions where approximately 30% of the PET measure results from specific binding. The authors conclude that (1) the density of VMAT2 binding sites in cortical regions is not high enough to be quantified reliably with DTBZ PET, and (2) binding does appear to be low enough so that cortex can be used as a free plus nonspecific reference region for striatum.

Kinetic modeling of N-[11C]methylpiperidin-4-yl propionate: alternatives for analysis of an irreversible positron emission tomography trace for measurement of acetylcholinesterase activity in human brain.

N-[11C]Methylpiperidin-4-yl propionate ([11C]PMP) is a substrate for hydrolysis by acetylcholinesterase (AChE). This work evaluates kinetic analysis alternatives for estimation of relative AChE activity using dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) studies of [11C]PMP. The PET studies were performed on three groups of subjects: (1) 12 normal volunteer subjects, aged 20 to 45 years, who received a single intravenous injection of 16 to 32 mCi of [11C]PMP; (2) six subjects, aged 21 to 44 years, who received two 16-mCi injections of [11C]PMP (baseline and visual stimulation, respectively); and (3) five subjects, aged 24 to 40 years, who received two 16-mCi injections separated by 200 minutes (baseline and after a 1-hour constant infusion of 1.5 mg of physostigmine, respectively). Dynamic acquisition consisted of a 17-frame sequence over 80 minutes. All analysis methods were based on a first-order kinetic model consisting of two tissue compartments with the parameter k3, representing PMP hydrolysis, being the index of AChE activity. Four different schemes were used to estimate k3: (1) an unconstrained non-linear least-squares fit estimating blood-brain barrier transport parameters, K1 and k2, in addition to the hydrolysis rate constant k3; (2) and (3), two methods of constraining the fit by fixing the volume of distribution of free tracer (DVfree); and (4), a direct estimation of k3 without use of an arterial input function based on the shape of the tissue time-activity curve alone. Results showed that k3 values from the unconstrained fitting and no input methods were estimated with similar accuracy, whereas the two methods using DVfree constraints yielded similar results. The authors conclude that the optimal analysis method for [11C]PMP differs as a function of AChE activity. All four methods gave precise measures of k3 in regions with low AChE activity (approximately 10% coefficient of variation in cortex), but surprisingly, with unconstrained methods yielding estimates with lower variability than constrained methods. In regions with moderate to high AChE activity, constrained methods were required to yield meaningful estimates and were superior to the unconstrained methods.

Striatal presynaptic monoaminergic vesicles are not increased in Tourette's syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal function of striatal dopaminergic synapses is suggested to underlie Tourette's syndrome (TS). OBJECTIVE: To determine dorsal striatal dopaminergic innervation in TS. Prior in vitro and in vivo studies of dopamine reuptake transporter binding sites suggest increased striatal dopaminergic innervation in TS. METHODS: We used in vivo measures of striatal vesicular monoamine transporter type-2 (VMAT2) binding to quantify striatal dopaminergic innervation in TS. Eight TS patients (mean age 30+/-9 years) and 22 age-comparable normal controls (age 34+/-8 years) underwent PET imaging with the VMAT2 ligand (+)-alpha-[11C]dihydrotetrabenazine (DTBZ). Compartmental modeling was used to quantify blood-to-brain ligand transport and VMAT2 binding site density from the tissue-to-plasma distribution volume (DV) during continuous (+)-alpha-[11C]DTBZ infusion. DTBZ DV in dorsal striatal regions was expressed relative to the occipital cortex to estimate relative specific VMAT2 binding (binding potential). RESULTS: We found no significant differences in VMAT2 binding potential between patients and controls in the caudate nucleus, anterior putamen, or posterior putamen. There were no significant differences in striatal VMAT2 binding between patients with (n = 5) or without (n = 3) features of obsessive-compulsive disorder. CONCLUSIONS: There is no evidence for increased binding to the VMAT2 in TS striatum and that dorsal striatal dopaminergic innervation density is normal in TS. The previously reported changes in dopamine transporter binding sites may reflect medication effect and/or altered synaptic activity or regulation of dopamine transporter expression in nigrostriatal neurons.

Neuropsychological function and cerebral glucose utilization in isolated memory impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

We hypothesized that 20 patients with isolated memory impairment (IMI) would demonstrate [18F]-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose utilization and a progression of neuropsychological symptoms consistent with Alzheimer's disease (AD). IMI subjects performed similarly to AD in recall and verbal fluency, but comparable to normal subjects in other areas of cognitive functioning. A positron emission tomography (PET) diagnostic index based on parietal Z-scores categorized IMI patients into normal and abnormal metabolic patterns. Ten of the original 20 IMI patients (50%) reflected PET AD abnormalities. Clinical information was available for IMI patients at three-year follow-up. Ten (50%) had converted to AD, three were found to have pseudodementia and the seven remained IMI. Of the 10 IMI patients with an originally normal PET index, three (30%) were diagnosed with AD at three years. Of the 10 with an abnormal index originally, seven (70%) converted to AD. The finding that memory deficit in IMI was as pronounced as that in AD patients is consistent with the notion that memory is an initial symptom of AD. A substantial number of the IMI patients reflected regional hypometabolism similar to AD, suggesting that IMI is likely an early stage in progressive dementia. A large percentage of IMI patients converted clinically to AD within three years of initial study, though we observed impaired memory functioning well before a clinical diagnosis of AD could be made. In addition to potential clinical utility, IMI and PET represent an opportunity to study dementia in relation to brain chemistry at a time when brain pathology is in the process of development.

In vivo mapping of cerebral acetylcholinesterase activity in aging and Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE: To validate an in vivo method for mapping acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in human brain, preparatory to monitoring inhibitor therapy in AD. BACKGROUND: AChE activity is decreased in postmortem AD brain. Lacking a reliable in vivo measure, little is known about central activity in early AD, when the disease is commonly targeted by AChE inhibitor drug therapy. METHODS: Intravenous N-[11C]methylpiperidin-4-yl propionate ([11C]PMP) served as an in vivo AChE substrate. AChE activity was defined using cerebral PET for tracer kinetic estimates of the local rate of [11C]PMP hydrolysis in 26 normal controls and 14 patients with AD. Eleven AD patients also had concomitant in vivo cerebral measures of vesicular acetylcholine transporter (cholinergic terminal) density and glucose metabolism. RESULTS: Cerebral AChE activity measures 1) were independent of changes in tracer delivery to cerebral cortex; 2) agreed with reported postmortem data concerning normal relative cerebral distributions, absence of large age-effect in normal aging, and deficits in AD; 3) correlated in AD cerebral cortex with concomitant in vivo measures of cholinergic terminal deficits, but not with metabolic deficits; and 4) agreed quantitatively with predicted level of cerebral AChE inhibition induced by physostimine. CONCLUSIONS: This in vivo PET method provided valid measures of central AChE activity in normal subjects and AD patients. Applied in early AD, it should facilitate inhibitor treatment by confirming central inhibition, optimizing drug dosage, identifying likely responders, and testing surrogate markers of therapeutic response.

Motor correlates of occipital glucose hypometabolism in Parkinson's disease without dementia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether occipital reduction in regional cerebral glucose metabolism in PD reflects retinal versus nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration. We hypothesized that occipital glucose metabolic reduction should be symmetric if parkinsonian retinopathy is responsible for the reduction. METHODS: PD patients without dementia (n = 29; age 63 +/- 10 years) and normal controls (n = 27; age 60 +/- 12 years) underwent [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET imaging. Regional cerebral glucose metabolic rates were assessed quantitatively. RESULTS: When compared with normal controls, PD patients showed most severe glucose metabolic reduction in the primary visual cortex (mean -15%, p < 0.001). Occipital glucose metabolic reduction was greater in the hemisphere contralateral to the side of the body affected initially or more severely in PD. There was an inverse correlation between side-to-side asymmetries in finger-tapping performance and occipital glucose metabolic reduction (r = -0.45, p < 0.05; n = 28). The correlation was strongest in patients with a relatively early stage of PD with more unilateral motor impairment (Hoehn and Yahr stage I, r = -0.74, p < 0.01; n = 10). CONCLUSION: The results indicate a pathophysiologic association between nigrostriatal dysfunction and occipital glucose metabolic reduction in PD.

Discordance between traditional pathologic and energy metabolic changes in very early Alzheimer's disease. Pathophysiological implications.

These results suggest that neither the loss of entorhinal efferents nor cholinergic deficit explains all the metabolic features seen in very early AD. Given recent immunohistological evidence of massive glutamatergic synaptic alteration in early AD cortex and insights into neuronal and glial mechanisms of glucose metabolism, very early metabolic changes in AD probably reflect a significant impairment of glycolytic activities in the cortico-cortical glutamatergic systems in a preclinical stage of the disease. However, the exact mechanisms of such impairment in these neurons are yet to be determined.

Synthesis of 1-[11C]methylpiperidin-4-yl propionate ([11C]PMP) for in vivo measurements of acetylcholinesterase activity.

Synthesis of 1-[11C]methylpiperidin-4-yl propionate ([11C]PMP), an in vivo substrate for acetylcholinesterase, is reported. An improved preparation of 4-piperidinyl propionate (PHP), the immediate precursor for radiolabeling, was accomplished in three steps from 4-hydroxypiperidine by (a) protection of the amine as the benzyl carbamate, (b) acylation with propionyl chloride, and (c) deprotection of the carbamate by catalytic hydrogenation. The final product was obtained in an overall 82% yield. Reaction of the free base form of PHP with [11C]methyl trifluoromethanesulfonate at room temperature in N,N-dimethylformamide, followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) purification, provided [11C]PMP in 57% radiochemical yield, > 99% radiochemical purity, and > 1500 Ci/mmol at the end of synthesis. The total synthesis time from end-of-bombardment was 35 min. [11C]PMP can thus be reliably prepared for routine clinical studies of acetylcholinesterase in human brain using positron emission tomography.

Neurochemical imaging of Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative dementias.

A wide variety of neurochemical and functional imaging approaches have been applied to the study of progressive dementias, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related disorders. Despite considerable progress in the past decade, the cause(s) of most cases of AD remain undetermined and preventive or protective therapies are lacking. Specifically-designed imaging procedures have permitted the testing of pathophysiological hypotheses of the etiology and progression of AD, and have yielded important insights in several areas including the potential roles of cerebral cortical cholinergic lesions, cellular inflammation, and losses of cortical synapses. From the perspective of clinical diagnosis, PET glucose metabolism imaging with use of [18F]2-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is the most sensitive and specific imaging modality yet identified. The overall performance of PET FDG is favorable for routine clinical evaluation of suspected AD, and will likely gain increasing utilization in the near future. Assessments of glucose metabolism and other, specific aspects of neurochemistry in AD will provide direct measures of therapeutic drug actions and may permit distinction of symptomatic versus disease-modifying therapies as they are developed and introduced in clinical trials.