Regional specific changes of cerebral metabolism in systemic lupus erythematosus identified by positron emission tomography

In order to test the hypothesis whether the pathogenesis of cerebral system ic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may include an immune-mediated deficit in spec ific vulnerable brain regions, the regional cerebral metabolism in 9 patien ts with diffuse as well as focal cerebral symptoms was compared with that o f 10 age-matched control subjects, The cerebral distribution of 2-[F-18]flu oro-2-deoxy-D- glucose (FDG) uptake was measured by means of positron emiss ion tomography. Subsequently performed statistical parametric mapping showe d (i) a relative increase in metabolism in the striatum and (ii) regional d ecreases in the premotor cortex as a common feature in the patient group. R egion of interest measurements of absolute FDG uptake confirmed these findi ngs, The increased striatal activity may support the presence of a direct i mmune response against neuronal tissue in SLE, similar to the cross-reactio n against inhibitory components in striatal tissue provoked by streptococca l antigens.