NEURAL CORRELATES OF DEMENTIA - REGIONAL BRAIN METABOLISM (FDG-PET) AND THE CERAD NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL BATTERY

The present investigation examined the biological correlates of the co gnitive deficits of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias using th e neuropsychological assessment battery of the Consortium to Establish a Registry of Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) and positron emission tomog raphy (PET). Resting state cerebral glucose metabolism was measured us ing the labelled radiotracer, [18F] Fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG), in a sample of patients with mild to moderate dementia (n = 66). Specific a nd predictable relationships were seen between regional brain metaboli sm (left and right, frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes) and the neu ropsychological measures of verbal fluency, constructional praxis, and verbal list learning. On tests of naming and delayed verbal recall on ly diminished FDG uptake in the left frontal lobe and the left tempora l lobe, respectively, approached significance. This study demonstrates the expected relationships between neuropsychological performance and regional cerebral metabolism, thereby providing support for the CERAD battery as a valid measure in the clinical evaluation of dementia and for the use of FDG-PET in brain-behavior studies of dementia.