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Biomedical subjects

D B Calne

Publications and source records attributed to D B Calne.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

The reproducibility of striatal uptake data obtained with positron emission tomography and fluorine-18-L-6-fluorodopa tracer in non-human primates.

Cynomolgus and rhesus monkeys have been studied via PET with [18F]-L-6 fluorodopa tracer. Striatal fluorodopa uptake rate constants have been derived by graphical analysis of transaxial slice images centered on the striata. The differences between pairs of values of the rate constant, obtained from two scans on the same monkey separated by two weeks or more, exhibited a relative standard deviation of 34.4%. If the two scans were conducted one immediately after the other, with the position of the monkey undisturbed, the standard deviation was reduced to 14.0%. The utility of this technique was demonstrated by comparing the effects on the scans of halothane and pentobarbital anesthesia and by the administration of NSD 1015, a peripheral and central inhibitor of L-aromatic amino-acid decarboxylase, between back-to-back scans. With NSD 1015, the fluorodopa uptake constant was reduced by an average of 76.0%.

Animals↗

Positron emission tomography in Shy-Drager syndrome.

We studied the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway in 3 patients with Shy-Drager syndrome, by using positron emission tomography and [18F]6-fluoro-1-dopa to determine whether their parkinsonism correlated with impaired functional integrity of the presynaptic nigrostriatal pathway. One patient had short duration of disease, mild parkinsonism, and a normal positron emission tomographic scan, suggesting pathological changes functionally distal to the nigrostriatal pathway. Two patients with longer duration of disease had more severe parkinsonism and reduced [18F]6-fluoro-1-dopa uptake, suggesting impaired nigrostriatal dopaminergic function with progression of Shy-Drager syndrome.

Aged↗

Treatment of spasticity with botulinum toxin: a double-blind study.

We studied the effect of botulinum-A toxin on spasticity of the leg adductors in 9 patients who were either chair-bound or bed-bound with chronic stable multiple sclerosis. We injected botulinum toxin (400 mouse units) or placebo into the adductor muscles in a randomized, crossover, double-blind design. Two physicians, who were unaware of the treatment order, used an objective rating scale and independently assessed the patients; interobserver correlation was excellent (r = 0.93-0.81). We found that botulinum toxin produced a significant reduction in spasticity (p = 0.009) and a significant improvement in the ease of nursing care (p = 0.009). There were no adverse effects during this short-term trial. This is the first demonstration of the beneficial effect of botulinum toxin on focal spastic muscle contractions.

Adult↗

Cortical glucose metabolism in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

Characteristic regional patterns of decreased cerebral glucose metabolism (rCMRG) have been described in a variety of neurodegenerative conditions associated with dementia. The present study was undertaken to determine whether the metabolic pattern in Parkinson's disease is altered by the presence of impaired cognitive function. Glucose metabolism was measured with positron emission tomography in 6 patients with Parkinson's disease and dementia (PDD), 8 patients with Parkinson's disease and normal cognition (PD), and 6 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). All AD patients subsequently had the diagnosis proven neuropathologically at autopsy. Correlation coefficients of the metabolic rates across 32 regions of interest were calculated between each pair of patients. Q-component analysis of the correlation matrix showed that the AD and PD groups formed two distinct clusters and that the PDD group had a metabolic pattern which was similar to that of the AD group. Comparison of standardized rCMRG values showed that the PDD group differed from the PD group in having significantly lower relative rCMRG in the left perirolandic and bilateral angular gyrus regions. There were no significant differences between the PDD and AD groups. These results suggest a similar pattern of cortical dysfunction in both Alzheimer's disease and in Parkinson's disease/dementia.

Aged↗

A case of rabies in North America.

A 25-year-old man developed classical hydrophobic rabies 3 months after being bitten on the face. We present his involuntary movements on videotape and discuss the clinical and epidemiological features of rabies. Though rabies is seen in tropical countries commonly and in North America occasionally, recording of the clinical features is rare.

Adult↗

Treatment of refractory Parkinson's disease with adrenal medullary autografts utilizing two-stage surgery.

Treatment of refractory PD with autologous adrenal medullary implants utilizing two-stage surgery warrants further investigation. This transplantation technique is associated with prolonged transplant area BBB disruption which may require a change in medical treatment strategies including the withdrawal of peripheral dopa decarboxylase inhibitors and possible intravenous or intraventricular dopamine therapy. Of 5 patients receiving adrenal medullary transplants, 3 have demonstrated varying degrees of clinical improvement which has persisted for the duration of the study. The positive correlation between clinical outcome and caudate function (i.e., 6-fluorodopa PET scans) suggests a positive influence of the transplantation procedure on the diseased striatum. Whether or not the grafted tissue remains viable for an extended period is currently being investigated utilizing 6-FDG-PET studies. Because of the presence of persistent BBB disruption, we surmise that at least viability of implanted fenestrated adrenal medullary capillaries exists. We conclude that this prolonged leakage is the result of the implanted tissue rather than the cavitation procedure as prolonged BBB disruption was not witnessed in a control group of patients with post-traumatic cerebral contusions or in Parkinson's patients subjected to thalamotomies. Whether two-stage surgery results in increased graft viability, and host neuronal sprouting, leading to prolonged clinical improvement and slowing the progression of PD awaits continued longitudinal (greater than 24 months) studies.

Adrenal Medulla↗

18Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography studies in presumed Alzheimer cases, including 13 serial scans.

Positron emission tomographic (PET) data on local cerebral metabolic rates for glucose (LCMR) are reported for 32 regions of interest (ROI)s in cross-sectional studies on 57 patients with clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 20 neurologically normal controls, and in serial studies on 13 of the AD cases, including a familial, young-onset case where the diagnosis has been confirmed at autopsy. Extensive psychological testing was done on all the AD cases. Almost all cortical regions showed a significant decline in LCMR with age in the control subjects. There were the expected cortical metabolic deficits in AD and the serial studies showed a general increase in such deficits over time in 12 of the 13 cases. The regions showing the greatest declines with time in serial studies are the same as those showing the most severe deficiencies in cross-sectional studies. The young-onset case did not show a greater rate of metabolic decline than many of the older cases studied. Results on individual psychological tests tended to correlate with metabolic rates in multiple, rather than single, cortical regions, suggesting intact neuronal networks are required for good performance. The correlations with cortical metabolic activity found were of a sign indicating that the higher the metabolic rates and the better the left:right asymmetry index, the better was the performance.

Aged↗

Parkinsonism with neuroacanthocytosis.

Two patients with neuroacanthocytosis are described. One presented with parkinsonism and the other resembled diurnal dystonia of the Segawa type. Both patients responded well to dopaminomimetic therapy. A PET scan with fluorodopa revealed a nigrostriatal deficit in the first patient.

Acanthocytes↗

Intracarotid 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine administration: biochemical and behavioral observations in a primate model of hemiparkinsonism.

Cynomolgus monkeys received intracarotid injections of the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) to produce a chronic unilateral model of parkinsonism. Extensive dopamine (DA) depletion was observed in the caudate nucleus and putamen on the side ipsilateral to the injection and this was associated with contralateral tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia. A dose of 1.25 mg of MPTP caused ipsilateral DA loss of 99.4% in the caudate nucleus, 99.8% in the putamen, and 74.2% in the nucleus accumbens. A dose of 2.5 mg caused ipsilateral DA depletion of 99.3% in the caudate nucleus, 99.5% in putamen, and 90.1% in the nucleus accumbens. The unilateral aspect of the lesion was dose sensitive, with the 2.5-mg dose causing bilateral asymmetric DA depletion. Tissue concentrations of serotonin were not affected by the toxin. These findings confirm that intracarotid injection of MPTP may produce a useful primate model of hemiparkinsonism that can be associated with selective unilateral DA depletion when the appropriate dose of toxin is used.

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine↗

Clozapine in the treatment of parkinsonian patients with dopaminomimetic psychosis.

In a double-blind placebo-controlled study, we evaluated the effects of clozapine (75 to 250 mg/day, mean 170.8) on dopaminomimetic psychosis and parkinsonian disability. Clozapine prevented deterioration of psychosis during the increase of dopaminomimetics in the 3 patients who completed the study. Worsening of parkinsonism occurred in 3 of the 6 patients. In the dosage used, clozapine's usefulness was limited by its propensity to produce sedation, confusion, and increased parkinsonism.

Aged↗

Decreased efficacy of levodopa with carbidopa in parkinsonian patients after adrenal-to-caudate implants.

We studied 6 parkinsonian patients 6 weeks after unilateral adrenal-to-caudate implants. We withheld medications the night before each of 2 study days and gave the patients a single test dose of either a combination of levodopa and carbidopa, or levodopa alone in double-blind random order. We administered the modified Columbia scale, objective measurements of rigidity and movement velocity, and the pegboard test at regular intervals after the single test dose. The results revealed that the improvements in performance recorded by the Columbia scale and the pegboard test were significantly less on the side contralateral to the operation when patients received carbidopa, whereas there was no significant difference in performance between the 2 observations on the ipsilateral side. Carbidopa apparently crossed the disrupted blood-brain barrier and lowered the efficacy of levodopa.

Adrenal Medulla↗

Parkinson's disease, motoneuron disease and Alzheimer's disease: origins and interrelationship.

The cause of neurodegenerative disease is considered. For Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and motoneuron disease, accumulating evidence over the last 3 years indicates that (a) the usual etiological mechanisms involve a subclinical lesion which kills some neurons and reduces the life expectation of their surviving neighbors, and (b) there may be more than one cause for each of the idiopathic syndromes now termed AD, PD, and MND.

Alzheimer Disease↗

[Comparison study of positron emission tomography, X-ray CT and MRI in parkinsonism with dementia].

In cases of Parkinson's disease, a high incidence of dementia and simultaneous pathologic changes of Alzheimer's type have been reported. X-ray CT and MRI have such good spatial resolution that they can be expected to be useful for evaluation of brain atrophy. Positron emission tomography (PET) used with 18F-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose is considered to reflect regional function. By these techniques, brain atrophy and local cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (LCMR-glc) in patients with Parkinsonism with dementia was studied, and also compared with age-matched normal controls and senile dementia of Alzheimer type. In seven cases of Parkinson's disease with dementia, LCMRs-glc were statistically decreased in all regions in comparison with ten normal controls. LCMRs-glc in six Parkinson's disease without dementia were higher than those of demented Parkinson's disease, but significantly lower than normal controls in all regions except basal ganglia. Some aged normal controls presented cortical atrophy and a significant difference could not be seen in evaluation by MRI among these three groups. There was also no correlation between LCMR-glc and cortical atrophy. There was no significant difference of LCMR-glc between six Guamnian cases of Parkinsonism-Dementia complex (PD complex) without ALS and four cases of PD complex with ALS, and these values were significantly lower than five Guamanian and ten Caucasian normal controls. In PD complex with and without ALS, remarkable cortical atrophy and ventricular dilatation were recorded in comparison with normal controls, and correlation between decrement of LCMR-glc and cortical atrophy was indicated in frontal, parietal and temporal lobe. In Parkinson's disease with dementia and PD complex in Guam, LCMRs-glc in all regions of brain were generally lower than normal controls. These findings were different from Alzheimer's disease in which LCMR-glc have been reported to be low especially in cerebral cortex. On the other hand, cortical atrophy and ventricular dilatation evaluated by MRI and CT was apparent in PD complex, but these changes were not remarkable in Parkinson's disease. Cortical atrophy did not always correlate with the decrease of LCMR-glc and changes of LCMR-glc could reflect clinical signs such as Parkinsonism and dementia. Both PET as a functional imaging method and MRI, CT as an anatomical imaging method are useful to access the study of these diseases.

Aged↗

Parkinson's disease.

In Parkinson's disease there is degeneration of neurons in the substantia nigra, with consequent depletion of the neurotransmitter dopamine. The triad of tremor, rigidity and bradykinesia is the clinical hallmark. Drugs currently used for palliative therapy fall into three categories: anticholinergic agents, dopamine precursors (levodopa combined with extracerebral decarboxylase inhibitors) and artificial dopamine agonists. It has been argued, on theoretical grounds, that some drugs slow the progress of Parkinson's disease, although no firm evidence has supported this. Treatment must be individualized, and more than one type of drug can be given concurrently after a careful build-up in dosage. We review the adverse effects of various drugs and consider new developments such as slow-release preparations, selective D-1 and D-2 agonists and transplants of dopaminergic cells into the brain. The treatment of Parkinson's disease can be demanding, rewarding and sometimes frustrating, but it remains a most challenging exercise in pharmacotherapy.

Adrenal Glands↗

Chronic manganese intoxication.

We report six cases of chronic manganese intoxication in workers at a ferromanganese factory in Taiwan. Diagnosis was confirmed by assessing increased manganese concentrations in the blood, scalp, and pubic hair. In addition, increased manganese levels in the environmental air were established. The patients showed a bradykinetic-rigid syndrome indistinguishable from Parkinson's disease that responded to treatment with levodopa.

Adult↗

Nigrostriatal function in humans studied with positron emission tomography.

The dopamine depletion that is characteristic of Parkinson's disease has been hypothesized to result from the combination of environmentally induced subclinical damage to the substantia nigra and the age-related loss of additional nigral neurons. Essential to this hypothesis is the existence of deteriorating function in the nigrostriatal pathway with advancing age. The present study was undertaken with [18F]6-fluoro-L-dopa and positron emission tomography to determine in vivo the effects of age on the nigrostriatal pathway in a series of 10 asymptomatic subjects (age range, 22-80 years; mean, 49.8 years). A graphical approach was used in the analysis of multiple-time tracer-uptake data to establish the presence of a compartment with unidirectional uptake and to calculate the rate constant, K, for uptake of [18F]6-fluoro-L-dopa from blood to striatum during steady-state, an index of the functional integrity of nigrostriatal nerve endings. There was a significant linear relationship between K and age (r = 0.80, p less than 0.005) with a decrease of 53.3% over the age range studied. These results demonstrate the application of a unidirectional transfer model to the analysis of [18F]6-fluoro-L-dopa and positron emission tomography data and provide in vivo confirmation of an age-related impairment of nigrostriatal function.

Adult↗

Positron emission tomography in manganese intoxication.

We employed 6-fluorodopa to study the integrity of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic projection by positron emission tomography in 4 subjects with clinical features of mild parkinsonism caused by exposure to manganese. The 6-fluorodopa scans were normal. This finding suggests that in early manganism sufficient to cause parkinsonian deficits, damage may occur in pathways postsynaptic to the nigrostriatal system, probably involving striatal or pallidal neurons. Fluorodeoxyglucose scans showed decreased cortical glucose metabolism, the significance of which is discussed.

Adult↗