Schwartz R S, Burke C, Snars J, Gordon E, Batchelor J, Kostalas G, Meares R, Yiannikas C
Neurology Unit, Westmead Hospital, Sydney.
Clin Exp Neurol. 1991;28:56-65.
Regional cerebral blood flow, a physiological measure of brain function, has been used for the assessment of cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease. A number of studies have found diminished temporo-parietal regional cerebral blood flow (RCBF) in Alzheimer's disease patients at rest and have differentiated these patients from normal subjects with a high degree of sensitivity. However the majority of the Alzheimer's disease patients have been in the moderate to severe stages of the disorder. Few studies have assessed RCBF in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. With increasing emphasis now being placed on the early detection of such patients we chose to examine RCBF during a task which made demands on those cognitive processes which are impaired in the early stages of the disease, viz. a recognition--memory task. Using a 32-channel RCBF system, we examined 20 normal control subjects over the age of 60 years and 10 patients with early to moderate Alzheimer's disease. RCBF was examined during a task of recognition--memory, and also at rest. Normal subjects showed a global increase in RCBF, with marked left frontal activation, as compared with when at rest. Resting perfusion was decreased in the Alzheimer's subject, and there appeared to be a greater degree of intersubject variability in flow during activation.
局部脑血流量是一种脑功能的生理测量指标，已被用于评估阿尔茨海默病中的认知功能障碍。多项研究发现，阿尔茨海默病患者在静息状态下颞顶叶局部脑血流量（RCBF）减少，并且能以高度敏感性将这些患者与正常受试者区分开来。然而，大多数阿尔茨海默病患者处于该疾病的中度至重度阶段。很少有研究评估阿尔茨海默病早期的RCBF。随着现在越来越强调对此类患者的早期检测，我们选择在一项对疾病早期受损的认知过程有要求的任务（即识别记忆任务）期间检查RCBF。使用32通道RCBF系统，我们检查了20名60岁以上的正常对照受试者和10名早期至中度阿尔茨海默病患者。在识别记忆任务期间以及静息状态下对RCBF进行了检查。与静息时相比，正常受试者的RCBF整体增加，左侧额叶有明显激活。阿尔茨海默病受试者的静息灌注减少，并且在激活期间血流的受试者间变异性似乎更大。
