Regional cerebral blood flow and verbal memory after chronic exposure to organic solvents.

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF; 133Xe-inhalation method) was investigated in 32 industrial workers (age: 51 +/- 9 years) who had been exposed to organic solvents during an average of 24.5 years. The measurements were made at rest and during learning of associated word pairs.

Cerebral hemodynamic response to mental activation in normo- and hypercapnia.

Changes of regional cerebral blood flow from rest to mental activation by a visually presented spatial reasoning test were measured during normo- and hypercapnia in 10 healthy subjects. Hypercapnia, elicited by inhalation of 6% CO2, resulted in similar flow increases in all 32 cortical regions measured. Increases of flow during testing were seen in post-central regions of the brain whether the resting level was augmented by hypercapnia or not.

Effects of piracetam on regional cerebral blood flow and mental functions in patients with organic dementia.

The effects of piracetam (Nootropil, UCB6215) on mental functions and on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were investigated in eight patients in the presenile age who displayed symptoms of moderate dementia. The double-blind crossover design included nine measurement occasions, each involving rCBF measurement by the 133-Xe inhalation method, ratings of symptoms of dementia, personality changes, and side effects, and a psychometric investigation. Three investigations were included in each of three treatment periods.