Analysis of Parkinson's disease and related syndromes using 123I-IMP-SPECT with the ARG method

We studied regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in 8 patients with non-demented Parkinson's disease (PD). 1 patient with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), 1 patient with multiple system atrophy (MSA), and 7 normal control subjects using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with the IMP-ARG method. Regions of interest were studied in the cerebral cortex (upper frontal, lower frontal, temporal, occipital, parietal), thalamus, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. In patients with PD, rCBF was normal in 4/8, and decreased in occipital lobe in 4/8. In patient with PSP, rCBF was decreased in the upper and lower frontal lobes, and in the cerebellum. In patient with MSA, rCBF was diminished in the cerebellum. The results of our study were almost compatible with the conventional rCBF study by positron emission tomography (PET), however, the decrease of rCBF in occipital lobe had rarely been reported, suggesting that might be related to visuospatial dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.