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Biomedical subjects

David Eidelberg

Publications and source records attributed to David Eidelberg.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Early stage Parkinson's disease patients and normal volunteers: comparative mechanisms of sequence learning.

Early-stage nondemented Parkinson's disease (PD(es)) patients can learn short but not long sequences as well as controls. We have previously shown that to achieve normal performance, PD(es) patients activated the same right-sided cortical regions as controls plus the homologous left sided cortex and bilateral cerebellum. In this study, we evaluated two related hypotheses to explain the behavioral abnormalities and the increased bilateral brain activation observed in the PD(es) group. Hypothesis 1 proposed that PD(es) patients recruit regions from a normal bilateral network specialized for sequence learning that healthy controls would activate if performing difficult tasks. Thus, PD(es) patients can learn short sequences as well as controls. Hypothesis 2 proposed that information processing within the network in the PD(es) group is impaired. Thus, PD(es) patients cannot learn as difficult a sequence as controls. To test hypothesis 1, we increased task difficulty and statistical power in the control group and showed that the control and the PD(es) groups activated the same regions. To test hypothesis 2, we analyzed the equal performance data using two partial least squares (PLS) multivariate analyses. The task-PLS analysis showed that to perform equally with controls, the PD(es) group expressed the normal bilateral network more than the control group. The behavior-PLS analysis showed that the correlation between learning performance and regional activation was significantly different between the groups. We conclude that PD(es) patients have near normal learning if task difficulty is moderate because they can recruit additional regions from a normal bilateral network specialized for sequence learning. However, when a difficult task would normally require bilateral activation, PD(es) patients fail to learn because information processing within the network is impaired. Hum. Brain Mapp. 20:246-258, 2003.

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Chemotherapy-induced parkinsonism responsive to levodopa: an underrecognized entity.

Parkinsonism is a rare neurological complication of cancer treatment. Although individual case reports of this syndrome have been reported, the clinical features and prevalence of this syndrome are unknown. We present 3 patients, encountered over 6 months at one institution, who developed parkinsonism after treatment with various chemotherapeutic agents. Parkinsonism was severe in 2 patients, affecting postural reflexes, speech, and swallowing. All 3 patients responded dramatically to treatment with levodopa, and parkinsonism spontaneously improved or remitted over months. This unusual complication of cancer therapy is treatable and may be underappreciated.

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Evolving metabolic changes during the first postoperative year after subthalamotomy.

OBJECT: Short-term benefit from unilateral subthalamotomy for advanced Parkinson disease (PD) is associated with metabolic alterations in key targets of subthalamic nucleus (STN) and globus pallidus (GP) output. In this study positron emission tomography (PET) scanning was used to assess these changes and their relation to long-term benefits of subthalamotomy. METHODS: To determine whether the early postoperative changes persisted at longer-term follow up, the authors assessed six patients with advanced PD by using [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose-PET at 3 and 12 months postsurgery. The authors compared each of the postoperative images with baseline studies, and assessed interval changes between the short- and long-term follow-up scans. Clinical improvement at 3 and 12 months was associated with sustained metabolic decreases in the midbrain GP internus (GPi), thalamus, and pons of the lesioned side (p < 0.01). The activity of a PD-related multiregional brain network, which correlated with bradykinesia and rigidity, was reduced at both postoperative time points (p < 0.05). Comparisons of 3- and 12-month images revealed a relative metabolic increase in the GP externus (GPe) (p < 0.001), which was associated with worsening gait, postural stability, and tremor at long-term follow up. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that subthalamotomy may have differential effects on each of the functional pathways that mediate parkinsonian symptomatology. Sustained relief of akinesia and rigidity is associated with suppression of a pathological network involving the GPi and its output. In contrast, the recurrence of tremor may relate to changes in the function of an STN-GPe oscillatory network.

Adult↗

Dosimetry of the dopamine transporter radioligand 18F-FPCIT in human subjects.

UNLABELLED: This study was designed to evaluate the radiation dosimetry in human subjects for a new radiopharmaceutical, N-(3-(18)F-fluoropropyl)-2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-iodophenyl)nortropane ((18)F-FPCIT). The goal was to determine a limiting dose consistent with accepted guidelines for use in clinical studies and to compare the radiation burden with other agents such as (123)I-FPCIT, (18)F-fluorodopa, and (18)F-FDG. METHODS: Dynamic PET scans of the urinary bladder were obtained in 6 subjects; 2 subjects had brain scans and 5 subjects had scans of the thorax or abdomen. Regions of interest were placed over composite images of each organ for which activity was visualized to generate time-activity curves. Doses were calculated from residence times using the MIRDOSE3 program. RESULTS: The critical organ for dosimetry is the urinary bladder wall with a dose of 0.0586 +/- 0.0164 mGy/MBq. The dose comes primarily (97.2%) from activity in the urinary bladder contents. The dose is lower than any of the other agents used commonly in PET to assess dopaminergic function. The effective dose equivalent (0.0120 mGy/MBq) is also lower than comparable compounds. CONCLUSION: (18)F-FPCIT has favorable dosimetry when compared with other agents used to study dopaminergic function. Doses as high as 853 MBq (23 mCi) may be given to adult patients and remain within accepted guidelines.

Adult↗

Pallidal stimulation for parkinsonism: improved brain activation during sequence learning.

We used (15)O-labeled water and positron emission tomography to assess the effect of deep brain stimulation of the internal globus pallidus on motor sequence learning in Parkinson's disease. Seven right-handed patients were scanned on and off stimulation while they were performing a motor sequence learning task and a kinematically matched motor execution reference task. The scans were performed after a 12-hour medication washout. Stimulation parameters were adjusted for maximal motor improvement; experimental task parameters were held constant across stimulation conditions. Internal globus pallidus stimulation improved motor ratings by 37% (p < 0.01). During the sequence learning task, stimulation improved performance as measured by several correct anticipatory movements (p < 0.01) and by verbal report (p < 0.001). Concurrent positron emission tomography imaging during learning demonstrated significant (p < 0.01) increases in brain activation with stimulation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, bilaterally in premotor cortex, and in posterior parietal and occipital association areas. Stimulation did not affect the activity of these regions during the performance of the motor execution reference task. These findings suggest that internal globus pallidus deep brain stimulation can enhance the activity of prefrontal cortico-striato-pallidothalamic loops and related transcortical pathways. Improved sequence learning with stimulation may be directly related to these functional changes.

Adult↗

Dyskinesia after fetal cell transplantation for parkinsonism: a PET study.

Persistent dyskinesias in the absence of or with only minimal amounts of dopaminergic medication have been reported after dopamine cell implantation for Parkinson's disease. In this study, we used [(18)F]fluorodopa (FDOPA) and positron emission tomography to determine whether this complication resulted from specific alterations in dopamine function after transplantation. Caudate and putamen FDOPA uptake values in these patients (DYS+, n = 5) were compared with those obtained in a cohort of age- and disease duration-matched transplant recipients who did not develop this complication (DYS-, n = 12). PET signal for both groups was compared at baseline and at 12 and 24 months after transplantation. We found that putamen FDOPA uptake was significantly increased (p < 0.005) in DYS+ transplant recipients. These increases were predominantly localized to two zones within the left putamen. In addition to the posterodorsal zone in which a prominent reduction in FDOPA uptake was present at baseline, the DYS+ group also displayed a relative increase ventrally, in which preoperative dopaminergic input was relatively preserved. Postoperative FDOPA uptake did not reach supranormal values over the 24-month follow-up period. These findings suggest that unbalanced increases in dopaminergic function can complicate the outcome of neuronal transplantation for parkinsonism.

Adult↗

Primary dystonia: is abnormal functional brain architecture linked to genotype?

The DYT1 dystonia mutation is associated with an abnormal metabolic brain network characterized by hypermetabolism of the basal ganglia, supplementary motor area, and the cerebellum. In this study, we quantified the activity of this network in carriers of other dystonia mutations to determine whether this functional abnormality is linked to genotype. The findings suggest that the DYT1 metabolic topography is not genotype specific and may be present in carriers of other dystonia mutations.

Adult↗

Tc-99m ethylene cysteinate dimer SPECT in the differential diagnosis of parkinsonism.

Positron emission tomography (PET) and network analysis have been used to identify a reproducible pattern of regional metabolic covariation that is associated with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). The activity of this PD-related pattern can be quantified in individual subjects and used to discriminate PD patients from atypical parkinsonians. Because PET is not commonly available, we sought to determine whether similar discrimination could be achieved using more routine single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) perfusion methods. Twenty-three subjects with PD (age, 63 +/- 9 years), 22 subjects with multiple system atrophy (MSA; age, 64 +/- 7 years), and 20 age-matched healthy controls (age, 62 +/- 13 years) underwent SPECT imaging of regional cerebral perfusion with Tc-99m ethylene cysteinate dimer (ECD). Using network analysis, we determined whether a PD-related pattern existed in the SPECT data, and whether its expression discriminated PD from MSA patients. Additionally, we compared the accuracy of group discrimination achieved by this pattern with that of the PET-derived PD-related pattern applied to the SPECT data. Network analysis of the SPECT data identified a significant pattern characterized by relative increases in cerebellar, lentiform, and thalamic perfusion covarying with decrements in the frontal operculum and in the medial temporal cortex. Subject scores for this pattern discriminated PD patients from controls (P < 0.01) and from MSA patients (P < 0.03). Subject scores for the PET-derived PD-related pattern computed in the individual SPECT scans more accurately distinguished PD patients from controls (P < 0.005) and from MSA patients (P = 0.0002). A significant PD-related covariance pattern can be identified in SPECT perfusion data. Moreover, the disease related pattern identified previously with PET can be applied to individual SPECT perfusion scans to provide group discrimination between PD patients, healthy controls, and individuals with MSA. Because of significant individual subject overlap between groups, however, the clinical utility of this method in the differential diagnosis of Parkinsonism remains uncertain.

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Relationships among the metabolic patterns that correlate with mnemonic, visuospatial, and mood symptoms in Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE: A multivariate analysis of baseline brain metabolism was used to investigate the relationships among pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for cognitive dysfunction and dysphoria in nondemented patients with Parkinson's disease. METHOD: Using [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and neuropsychological tests, the authors studied 15 nondemented patients who had Parkinson's disease without major depression (DSM-III-R). Their mean age was 59.2 years (SD=9.2), the mean rating of Parkinson's disease stage (Hoehn and Yahr scale) was 3.3 (SD=0.9), and all had Mini-Mental State Examination scores of 24 or higher. To identify specific regional patterns of brain metabolism associated with abnormal cognitive and mood functioning, the data were analyzed by using brain-behavior partial least squares. This multivariate voxel-based analysis allowed detection of significant topographic patterns of metabolic activity and quantification of the extent to which each topographic pattern correlated with scores on mnemonic, visuospatial, and dysphoric tests. RESULTS: Two significant, independent topographic patterns were identified. Pattern 1 included parieto-occipito-temporal and medial temporal brain regions, and pattern 2 included the lateral frontal and anterior limbic cortex. Patterns 1 and 2 exhibited a double dissociation in their behavioral correlates: pattern 1 correlated with both visuospatial and mnemonic functioning but not with dysphoria; pattern 2 correlated with dysphoria but not with the cognitive measures. CONCLUSIONS: The authors used the independence of topographic patterns and the size of correlations between topographic patterns and behavior to infer relationships among the pathophysiological processes responsible for the correlations. The finding that mildly abnormal mnemonic and visuospatial functioning correlated with the same topographic pattern suggests that a common pathophysiology underlies this marker of cognition in Parkinson's disease. By contrast, the independence of the two topographic patterns supports the notion that different mechanisms underlie cognitive and dysphoric symptoms in nondemented patients with Parkinson's disease.

Adult↗

Comparative analysis of striatal FDOPA uptake in Parkinson's disease: ratio method versus graphical approach.

UNLABELLED: Striatal-to-occipital ratio (SOR) and influx constant K(i)(occ) are commonly used as analytic parameters in L-3,4-dihydroxy-6-(18)F-fluorophenylalanine (FDOPA) PET studies. Both have been shown to be useful in discriminating Parkinson's disease (PD) patients from healthy subjects. We evaluated the relative performance of SOR and influx constant (K(i)(occ)) in the clinical assessment of nigrostriatal dopaminergic function in PD. METHODS: Twenty-one parkinsonian patients (Hoehn and Yahr scale I-IV; mean age +/- SD, 56 +/- 9.2 y) and 11 healthy subjects (mean age, 60 +/- 16 y) underwent 3-dimensional dynamic FDOPA scanning from 0 to 100 min. After spatial realignment, PET images at each frame were integrated by summing 4 central striatal slices, and time-activity curves (TACs) were generated after placing a standard set of elliptic regions of interest over striatal and occipital structures. SOR and K(i)(occ) values for each subject were then computed from TACs at different times using an input function from the occipital cortex. RESULTS: Both SOR and K(i)(occ) showed significant bilateral decreases in striatal dopamine uptake in the PD group compared with the control group. SOR values estimated for 10-min frames between 65 and 95 min are statistically equivalent in group discrimination. In addition, SOR values in the caudate and putamen correlated strongly with K(i)(occ), especially toward the end of the scanning epoch. Both parameters correlated significantly and comparably with Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor scores. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that SOR determined from a single 10-min scan at 95 min is as accurate as K(i)(occ) in separating PD patients from healthy subjects and in predicting clinical measures of disease severity.

Case-Control Studies↗

Quantitative Brain PET. Comparison of 2D and 3D Acquisitions on the GE Advance Scanner.

PURPOSE: Recent developments in the design of positron emission tomography (PET) scanners have made three-dimensional (3D) data acquisition attractive because of significantly higher sensitivity compared to the conventional 2D mode (with lead/tungsten septa extended). However, the increased count rate in 3D mode comes at the cost of increased scatter, randoms, and dead time. Several schemes to correct for these effects have been proposed and validated in phantom studies. In this study, we evaluated the overall improvement afforded by 3D imaging in quantitative human brain PET studies carried out at our institution.METHODS: Subjects were studied using sequential/interleaved 2D and 3D data acquisition with a GE Advance scanner. We calculated regional and global cerebral glucose metabolism with [(18)F]flourodeoxyglucose (FDG) and estimated rate constants for striatal [(18)F]fluorodopa (FDOPA) uptake.RESULTS: FDG: Global mean glucose metabolic rates were in almost complete agreement (within 1%) between the two modes whereas the regional differences ranged from -7.7% to +9% for all cortical structures. However, for small regions (<2 cm(2)) like caudate nuclei, the maximum difference was 14.7%. FDOPA: A significant improvement in image quality was evident in 3D mode and there was complete agreement between the estimated parameters in the two scanning modes for the same noise equivalent counts: Striatal-to-occipital ratio (SOR) and striatal FDOPA uptake (K(i)(FD)) had mean differences of less than 2% and 5%, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: 3D FDG studies can be done with either half the injected dose or half the scan duration to a comparable 2D study. 3D PET imaging has distinct advantages over 2D in the quantitative fluorodopa studies.

Journal Article↗

Acute and chronic effects of citalopram on cerebral glucose metabolism in geriatric depression.

OBJECTIVE: In vivo studies of serotonin function have been limited by the lack of safe and selective pharmacologic agents and availability of suitable radiotracers. In the present study, the authors evaluated the cerebral metabolic effects of acute and continued administration of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor citalopram in patients with geriatric depression as a potential marker of serotonin dysfunction. METHODS: Six patients with geriatric depression and five comparison subjects underwent two resting positron emission tomography (PET) studies, performed after administration of a placebo infusion (Day 1) and a citalopram infusion (40 mg, Day 2). The patients were re-scanned after 8 weeks of treatment with the oral medication. RESULTS: The elderly comparison subjects demonstrated greater right-hemisphere cortical decreases than the patients. The depressed patients demonstrated greater left-hemisphere cortical decreases than comparison subjects. The depressed patients demonstrated greater increases in the right putamen and left occipital cortex. After 8 weeks of citalopram treatment, regional decreases and increases in metabolism were observed. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest regional deficits and also compensatory responses in the acute metabolic response to citalopram in the patients. These preliminary results suggest that the cerebral metabolic response to citalopram may be a useful marker of the pathophysiology of serotonin function in geriatric depression.

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