STRIATAL HYPOMETABOLISM DISTINGUISHES STRIATONIGRAL DEGENERATION FROMPARKINSONS-DISEASE

Regional and global metabolic rates for glucose were estimated using F -18-fluorodeoxyglucose and positron emission tomography in 10 patients with a clinical likelihood of striatonigral degeneration (2 men and 8 women; mean age, 61.8 +/- 6.9 years; mean disease duration, 4.7 +/- 2 .2 years; mean Hoehn and Yahr score, 3.5 +/- 0.8). Measures of brain g lucose metabolism in these patients were compared with those for 10 ag e-matched normal volunteers, 10 disease severity-matched patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), and 10 disease duration-matched patients wi th PD. Normalized glucose metabolism was significantly reduced in the caudate (p < 0.03) and putamen (p < 0.003) as compared with that in no rmal and PD control subjects, and discriminated patients with striaton igral degeneration from control subjects (p < 0.002). Putamenal hypome tabolism in patients with striatonigral degeneration correlated signif icantly with quantitative ratings of motor disability (p < 0.02). Thes e results suggest that quantitative F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron e mission tomography techniques may be useful in supporting a diagnosis of striatonigral degeneration in life, and in objectively assessing di sease severity and potential therapeutic interventions.