ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The frequent occurrence of movement disorders such as myoclonus, parkinsonism and dystonia, strongly suggests an involvement of the dopaminergic system in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), but this issue has not been specifically addressed yet. METHODS: We report a patient who after a sub-acute focal clinical onset, developed the full clinical picture of probable sCJD. Given the early unilateral right extrapyramidal rigidity, the patient was assessed by single-photon emission computed tomography of the dopamine transporter (DAT) using [123I] FP-CIT. RESULTS: DAT-scan demonstrated reduced values of presynaptic receptorial trace in the putamen, particularly on the left side, consistent with functional putaminal dopaminergic presynaptic alteration. CONCLUSIONS: The present observation emphasizes the possible role of DAT imaging studies in the investigation of the pathogenesis of movement disorders in CJD.
Subject(s)
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome/diagnostic imaging , Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome/physiopathology , Dopamine/metabolism , Putamen/physiopathology , Aged , Carbon Radioisotopes , Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome/pathology , Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins/metabolism , Female , Humans , Iodine Radioisotopes , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Putamen/diagnostic imaging , Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon , TropanesABSTRACT
The fatty acid composition of red blood cell membranes (which reflects dietary fat intake) was studied in 28 male patients with recent (less than 3 days) ischemic stroke and 56 matched controls. Fifteen fatty acids were measured by means of chromatographic analysis. Percentages of linoleic, 22:5, and 22:6 acids were significantly lower in red blood cell membranes of stroke patients than in those of matched controls. The results suggest that a low unsaturated fatty acid diet could be an independent risk factor for ischemic brain infarction.
