Alzheimer disease: quantitative analysis of I-123-iodoamphetamine SPECT brain imaging
Article Abstract:
Approximately four to five percent of all people over 65 years of age experience dementia. Of these cases approximately 50 percent are caused by Alzheimer's disease (presenile dementia). This diagnosis is usually made by excluding other difficulties. The use of radioactive iodine with an imaging system allows for a positive finding that can establish the underlying brain disease causing dementia. The paper presents a semi-automated method which uses single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for the diagnosis of dementia. SPECT utilizes an advanced nuclear medicine camera which allows the detection of a radioactive tracer (e.g., radioactive iodine) within the body and produces an anatomic representation of the uptake of the tracer, indicative of physiologic function. A relatively new tracer, iodine-123-iodoamphetamine, was used as an index of brain function. A ratio of parietal cerebral cortex to cerebellar uptake of less that .60 and a ratio of parietal to average cortical activity of less than .90 was indicative of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT). The test is able to provide positive, functional data that is indicative of SDAT with a noninvasive, simple and relatively inexpensive procedure. The study shows a strong correlation between test results (tracer uptake) and general mental status.
Publication Name: Radiology
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0033-8419
Year: 1989
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Development and aging of brain midline structures: assessment with MR imaging
Article Abstract:
The postnatal development and aging of the following midline brain structures were studied with the aid of midsagittal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): the pituitary gland, the pons (communication between right and left cerebellar hemispheres), the corpus callosum (communication between right and left cerebral hemispheres) and the vermis (a midline, unpaired cerebellar structure). MRI is the noninvasive use of strong magnetic fields and radio frequency energy to produce clear images of internal structures of the body (e.g., portions of the brain). The study included individuals from birth to 60 years of age. The patterns of growth as observed by MRI is reported in detail. The pituitary showed a consistent and progressive growth until approximately 50 years of age when there was some decrease in size. Accelerated pituitary growth occurred during the first year and about the time of puberty (10-15). The pons, cerebellar vermis and corpus callosum all showed explosive growth early in life, followed by a decrease in growth rate; mathematically the growth pattern followed an exponential pattern of growth. There was also some indication of atrophy or decreased size of the pons, cerebellar vermis and corpus callosum after the approximate age of fifty, but this was not statistically significant.
Publication Name: Radiology
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0033-8419
Year: 1989
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Circle of Willis in newborns: color Doppler imaging of 53 healthy full-term infants
Article Abstract:
The circle of Willis is the intercommunication of arteries which are situated at the base of the brain and which are responsible for maintaining the blood supply to the brain. The present study uses a noninvasive form of sound energy (Doppler color-flow ultrasound) to measure the flow patterns within the vircle of Willis in 53 healthy full-term infants. The direction of flow and the flow rates are given and color images illustrate the pattern of the blood flow. In general the flow was from internal carotid arteries toward the posterior cerebral arteries (a branch of the vertebral artery). Blood flow across the midline through the anterior communicating artery (linking the two internal carotid arteries) was seen in six of 53 infants, indicating a dependence on the artery of the opposite side (contralateral side). The basilar artery, which is formed from the union of the left and right vertebral artery, was found to have a snaking or tortuous course in two children; other variant patterns were seen. The paper clearly demonstrates that the circulation of the brain can be determined in newborn infants by the use of color flow Doppler ultrasound. The normal anatomy of the structures of the base of the brain are presented in an accompanying color atlas.
Publication Name: Radiology
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0033-8419
Year: 1989
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
- Abstracts: The Origins of Alzheimer Disease: A Is for Amyloid. Intercontinental Epidemiology of Alzheimer Disease: A Global Approach to Bad Gene Hunting
- Abstracts: Clinical manifestations and treatment of dysfunctional uterine bleeding. Clinical Features and Treatment of Peristomal Pyoderma Gangrenosum
- Abstracts: Pergolide and selegiline for Parkinson's disease. Immunization of college students against meningococcal disease
- Abstracts: Measles in the United States, 2006. System failure versus personal accountability--The case for clean hands. The isolation of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella from retail ground meats
- Abstracts: bcl-2 and other genomic alterations in the prognosis of large-cell lymphoma. Comparison of a second-generation combination chemotherapeutic regimen (m-BACOD) with a standard regimen (CHOP) for advanced diffuse non-Hodgkin's lymphoma