CEREBRAL METABOLIC-RATE FOR GLUCOSE DURING THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF LIFE- AN FDG POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY STUDY

Aim-To measure the local cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (LCMRGlc) in neonatal brains during maturation using positron emission tomograp hy (PET) and 2-[F-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG). Methods-Twenty in fants were studied using PET during the neonatal period. The postconce ptional age ranged from 32.7 to 60.3 weeks. All infants had normal neu rodevelopment and were normoglycaemic. The development of the infants was carefully evaluated (follow up 12-36 months) clinically, and by us ing a method based on Gesell Amatruda's developmental diagnosis. LCMRG lc was quantitated using PET derived from FDG kinetics and calculated in the whole brain and for regional brain structures. Results-LCMRGlc for various cortical brain regions and the basal ganglia was low at bi rth from 4 to 16 mu mol/100 g/minute). Pediatrics In infants 2 months of age and younger LCMRGlc was highest in the sensorimotor Department of cortex, thalamus, and brain stem. By 5 months, LCMRGlc had increase d in the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital and cerebellar cortica l regions. In general, the whole brain LCMRGlc correlated with postcon ceptional age (r = 0.90; P < 0.001). The change in the glucose metabol ic pattern observed in the neonatal brain reflects the functional matu ration of these brain regions. Conclusion-These findings show that LCM RGlc in infants increases with maturation. Accordingly, when LCMRGlc i s measured during infancy, the postconceptional age has to be taken in to account when interpretating the results.