HMPAO SPECT in Parkinson's disease (PD) with major depression (MD) before and after antidepressant treatment.

Previously we suggested that major depression (MD) in Parkinson's disease (PD) could be an indication of a more advanced and widespread neurodegenerative process, as PD symptoms were more severe in those with depression. We also found a different antidepressant response with SSRI medication in PD patients with depression compared to depressed patients without PD. This indicates diverse underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.

A computerized human reference brain for rCBF/SPET technetium-99m exametazime (HMPAO) investigation of elderly.

Using the bull's eye approach, a reference brain from the single photon emission tomography (SPET) images of 10 subjects aged 62-81 years with excellent mental and physical health was constructed. SPET images were acquired twice, 1 week apart, using a single detector rotating gamma camera collecting 64 planar images over a 360 degrees orbit. The centre of each transaxial slice was first defined with an automatic edge detecting algorithm applied to an anterior-posterior and a side profile of the brain.