Cerebral blood flow and cognitive testing correlate in Huntington's disease
N. Tanahashi, J. S. Meyer, Y. Ishikawa, P. Kandula, K. F. Mortel, R. L. Rogers, S. Gandhi and M. Walker
Brain atrophy estimated by computed tomographic (CT) scanning and mean
hemispheric and regional gray matter cerebral blood flow (CBF) values were
measured in patients with mild to moderate Huntington's disease (HD) (N =
16) using the xenon Xe 133 inhalation method and in asymptomatic blood
relatives at risk from HD (N = 6) using both the xenon Xe 133 inhalation
and the stable xenon CT contrast CBF methods. Results were compared with
measurements in two groups of age-matched normal volunteers (N = 48 and N =
42, respectively). Significant brain atrophy in the vicinity of both
caudate nuclei was present in patients with HD but not in at-risk
individuals. Mean hemispheric xenon Xe 133 CBF values were reduced in
patients with HD but seemed to be normal in at-risk individuals. In HD,
reductions in CBF were found in both frontotemporal regions. Correlations
were found between severity of dementia estimated by reductions of
Mini-Mental Status Questionnaire scores and reductions of either mean
hemispheric or regional frontotemporal CBF values in HD. The CT estimates
of brain atrophy and three-dimensional CBF by stable xenon-contrast
measurements were normal in asymptomatic individuals at risk from HD.
