Characteristic deterioration of ADAS-Jcog subscale scores and correlations with regional cerebral blood flow reductions in Alzheimer ’s disease

We examined the relationship between subscale tasks that showed marked score changes and brain regions that showed reduced rCBF over a 2-year period. rCBF was measured by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer (99mTc-ECD), and the SPECT imaging data were analyzed with the easyZ-score imaging system (eZIS) and voxel-based stereotactic extraction estimation (vbSEE) methods. Total score of ADAS-Jcog deteriorated from 19.5  ± 7.0 to 35.7 ± 15.2 after 2 years. Subscale scores were significantly worse in all fields, particularly in orientation, word recall, remembering test instructions, commands, constructional praxis, and ideational praxis, in that order. Significant correlations were found between (1) word recall and commands and rCBF in the left middle temporal lobe, (2) naming objects/fingers and rCBF in the left temporal (middle, inferior) lobe, and (3) constructional and ideational praxis and rCBF in the right parietal (superior, inferior) lobe, temporal (superior, middle) lobe, angular gyrus, an d cingulate gyrus. We identified the brain regions associated with specifically impaired subscales of ADAS-Jcog during progressive deterioration of AD over 2 years.
Source: Neurological Sciences - Category: Neurology Source Type: research