Cognitive correlates of regional cerebral blood flow in Alzheimer's disease
J. L. Eberling, B. R. Reed, M. G. Baker and W. J. Jagust
Center for Functional Imaging, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley 94720.
OBJECTIVE--To study the relationship between relative regional cerebral
blood flow (rCBF) and performance on a variety of neuropsychological tests
in a group of subjects with Alzheimer's disease. DESIGN--Analysis of the
relationship between relative rCBF and neuropsychological performance using
stepwise multiple regressions and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation
coefficients. SETTING--University dementia clinic and research laboratory.
PARTICIPANTS--Twelve mildly demented patients with Alzheimer's disease
(Mini-Mental State examination [MMSE] scores, 24 to 29; age, 56 to 78
years); 38 moderately demented patients with Alzheimer's disease (MMSE
scores, 0 to 23; age, 59 to 86 years); and eight normal control subjects
(MMSE scores, 27 to 30; age, 61 to 79 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Single
photon emission computed tomography and the blood flow tracer
N-isopropyl-p-iodoamphetamine iodine 123 were used to measure relative
rCBF. Cognitive performance was assessed by grouping neuropsychological
tests into clusters reflecting frontal lobe abilities, perseveration,
memory, and visuoconstructive abilities. RESULTS--While MMSE score was a
significant (P < .05) predictor of visuoconstruction, frontal lobe, and
memory cluster scores, relative rCBF was a weaker predictor of
neuropsychological performance, with only right orbitofrontal relative rCBF
emerging as a significant (P < .05) predictor of the frontal cluster
score and right parietal relative rCBF as a significant (P < .05)
predictor of the visuoconstruction cluster score. CONCLUSIONS--These
results support our a priori grouping of neuropsychological tests into
frontal and visuoconstruction clusters and suggest that these two clusters
are good measures of frontal and parietal lobe function, respectively.
