Comparison of Brain Glucose Metabolism and Monoamine Oxidase B (MAO B) in Traumatic Brain Injury.

OBJECTIVE: Positron emission tomography (PET) studies in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy have reported that hypometabolism in temporal regions is associated with elevated monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) probably reflecting gliosis. The purpose of this study was to examine a group of head trauma patients suffering from seizures and memory loss to determine whether hypometabolic regions show correspondingly elevated MAO B.METHODS: Seven patients with traumatic brain injury received PET scans with (18)FDG and [(11)C]L-deprenyl-D2 to measure regional glucose metabolism (LCMRglu) and MAO B respectively.

Alcohol intoxication induces greater reductions in brain metabolism in male than in female subjects.

Background: The mechanisms underlying the gender differences in alcohol drinking behavior and alcohol's effects are poorly understood and may reflect gender differences in brain neurochemistry. Alcohol decreases glucose metabolism in the human brain in a pattern that is consistent with its facilitation of GABAergic neurotransmission. We compared the regional changes in brain glucose metabolism during alcohol intoxication between female and male subjects.

Strategy for the formation of parametric images under conditions of low injected radioactivity applied to PET studies with the irreversible monoamine oxidase A tracers [11C]clorgyline and deuterium-substituted [11C]clorgyline.

The construction of parametric positron emission tomography images of enzyme or receptor concentration obtained using irreversibly binding radiotracers presents problems not usually encountered with reversibly binding radiotracers. Difficulties are most apparent in brain regions having low blood flow and/or high enzyme or receptor concentration and are exacerbated with noisy data. This is especially true when minimal doses of radiotracer are administered.

Enhanced resting activity of the oral somatosensory cortex in obese subjects.

The cerebral mechanisms underlying excess food intake in obese subjects are poorly understood. We used PET and 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose to assess differences in regional brain metabolism between obese and lean subjects at rest. Brain metabolic images were analyzed using statistical parameter maps.

Changes in brain functional homogeneity in subjects with Alzheimer's disease.

Imaging studies have reported marked reductions in brain glucose metabolism in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, less is known about disruptions in the patterns of brain metabolic activity. Here we questioned whether AD affects the patterns of homogeneity/heterogeneity in brain metabolism.