Regional cerebral blood flow patterns in patients with freezing of gait due to lacunar infarction: SPECT study using three-dimensional stereotactic surface projections.

Background: Although freezing of gait (FOG) is reportedly caused by cerebrovascular disease, few studies have examined its pathology. We examined regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) patterns in patients with FOG resulting from chronic lacunar infarction using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

Methods: Among patients with chronic lacunar infarction treated at our outpatient unit, we performed N-isopropyl-p-[(123)I]-iodoamphetamine SPECT in seven patients with FOG (FOG group) and in 20 patients without FOG (non-FOG group). We analyzed and compared the SPECT data using three-dimensional stereotactic surface projections of the two groups.

Results: On z-score maps, the FOG group showed a significant reduction in rCBF in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortices compared with the non-FOG group. The mean z-score for the bilateral cingulate gyri was significantly higher in the FOG group than in the non-FOG group (p < .01). When the cingulate gyrus data of the anterior and posterior subregions were analyzed on a region-by-region basis, the mean z-score for the left anterior cingulate gyrus was significantly higher than that for the right cingulate gyrus (p < .05).

Conclusion: These results suggest that anterior cingulate cortex dysfunction may be involved in the pathology of FOG in patients with chronic lacunar infarction.