Brain Disorders & Therapy

Abstract

A Retrospective Study on Relation between Cognitive Performance and Lobar Perfusions of Brain in Alzheimer's Dementia using Single Photon Emission Computer Tomography

Balachandar Rakesh, Srikala Bharath, Bhavani Shankara Bagepally, Jitender Saini, Shilpa Sadanand, Naveen Donthi, Palanimuthu Thangaraju Sivakumar, Sadanandavally Ratnaswamy Chandra and Mathew Varghese

Background and objectives: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative condition that progressively affects all cognitive domains. Patients with AD have been documented to have perfusion deficits. We aim to study the perfusion of lobes and its role in cognition among patients with AD. Methodology: Clinical data including cognitive scores on Hindi Mental Status Examination (HMSE) of 16 right handed patients with AD visiting geriatric clinic were recorded. Single Photon Emission Computer Tomography (SPECT) was acquired with standard protocol. Region of interest was applied at each of the frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital, cerebellar lobes to measure the regional perfusion. Results: Patients with AD aged 73.5 ± 8.5 years (6 males) with mean HMSE scores 11.69 ± 5.4 formed the study group. Left temporal lobe perfusion scores emerged as significant (p=0.04) predictor of cognitive scores in patients with AD. We observed a significant difference in perfusion between individual lobes within right hemisphere (p=0.003) and left hemisphere (p=0.009). Conclusion: In this sample of patients with AD we were able to demonstrate the differential pattern of brain perfusion within the intra-hemispheric lobes, possibly due to differential rate of degeneration. We were able to demonstrate a possible association between the left temporal lobe perfusion and cognitive scores in patients with AD.