EEG-DELTA, POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY, AND MEMORY DEFICIT IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

Quantitative scalp EEG from 32 channels and the cerebral glucose metab olic rate from the 32 underlying cortical positions as assessed by pos itron emission tomography (PET) with F-18-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) were ob tained on 36 patients with mild to moderate senile dementia of the Alz heimer type and 17 age- and sex-matched normal control subjects. Subje cts performed a verbal memory task during uptake of FDG. There were si gnificant correlations between both delta amplitude and metabolic rate and memory performance during FDG uptake. Patients with Alzheimer's d isease had significantly greater left temporal delta amplitude and low er glucose metabolic rates. Both EEG delta in microvolts and metabolic rate had similar diagnostic sensitivity, but PET had fewer false posi tives among normals. The left amygdala had the highest sensitivity and percent correct diagnosis of any brain area. Temporal lobe EEG delta activity showed higher correlations with hippocampal metabolic rate th an metabolic rate directly under the electrode.