Noninvasive determination of local cerebral metabolic rate of glucose in man.

A method for the determination of local cerebral metabolic rates of glucose (LCMRGlc) in normal man is described. The method employs [18F]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) and emission-computed tomography (ECT). FDG was injected intravenously as a bolus. Radioactivities in separate brain regions were measured with ECT. Plasma FDG concentration following injection was measured from blood samples. A mathematical model that describes the kinetics of FDG transports was employed to determine the transport rate constants of FDG and to convert the radioactivity measurements to metabolic rates. The model has taken into account the possible dephosphorylation reaction from FDG-6-PO4 (FDG-6-P) to free FDG in brain tissues. Experiments were performed in 13 normal volunteers. The rate constants of FDG in man were found to be comparable to those of deoxyglucose in rat and in rhesus monkey. The average LCMRGlc in gray and in white matter were found to be 7.30 +/- 1.18 (SD) and 3.41 +/- 0.64 mg/min per 100 g brain tissue, respectively. The subject-to-subject variation of LCMRGlc as measured by the present method was comparable to those of other methods that measure whole-brain CMRGlc.