Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
1997-9-3
pubmed:abstractText
We used [18F]-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) and PET to study regional cerebral glucose utilization in seven patients with fatal familial insomnia (FFI), an inherited prion disease with a mutation at codon 178 of the prion protein gene. Four patients were methionine/methionine homozygotes at codon 129 (symptom duration, 8.5 +/- 1 months) and three were methionine/valine (MET/VAL129) heterozygotes (symptom duration, 35 +/- 11 months). A severely reduced glucose utilization of the thalamus and a mild hypometabolism of the cingulate cortex were found in all FFI patients. In six subjects the brain hypometabolism also affected the basal and lateral frontal cortex, the caudate nucleus, and the middle and inferior temporal cortex. Comparison between homozygous or heterozygous patients at codon 129 showed that the hypometabolism was more widespread in the MET/VAL129 group, which had a significantly longer symptom duration at the time of [18F] FDG PET study. Comparison between neuropathologic and [18F] FDG PET findings in six patients showed that areas with neuronal loss were also hypometabolic. However, cerebral hypometabolism was more widespread than the histopathologic changes and significantly correlated with the presence of protease-resistant prion protein (PrPres). Our findings indicate that hypometabolism of the thalamus and cingulate cortex is the hallmark of FFI, while the involvement of other brain regions depends on the duration of symptoms and some unknown factors specific to each patient. The present data also support the notion that PrPres formation is the cause of neuronal dysfunction in prion diseases.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
AIM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jul
pubmed:issn
0028-3878
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
49
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
126-33
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1997
pubmed:articleTitle
Cerebral metabolism in fatal familial insomnia: relation to duration, neuropathology, and distribution of protease-resistant prion protein.
pubmed:affiliation
Neurological Institute, University of Bologna, Italy.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't