CORRELATIONS BETWEEN SPECT REGIONAL CEREBRAL BLOOD-FLOW AND PSYCHOMETRIC TESTING IN PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

Thirty-nine patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) were studi ed with [Tc-99m]HMPAO SPECT and a standardized neuropsychological batt ery testing intellect, memory, attention, language, motor and praxis f unctions, and depression. Spearman rank correlations and multivariate regression analyses were performed to correlate quantitative regional perfusion deficits to these tests. Patients were found to have decreas ed perfusion of left frontal parietal and temporal regions relative to right. WAB repetition scores and bilateral temporal flow were signifi cantly correlated (P <0.01). Correlations between visual memory and bi lateral temporal flow and those between Mini-Mental State/ Geriatric D epression Scale scores and bihemispheric flow approached significance. Although in this study regional cerebral bloodflow was relatively ins ensitive to neuroanatomical abnormalities underlying specific cognitiv e deficits, it may have some specificity for identifying the language disorder in AD.