Metabolic Changes Detected by ¹⁸F-FDG PET in the Preclinical Stage of Familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Lu, Hui^a | Jing, Donglai^a | Chen, Yaojing^b | Cui, Chunlei^c | Gao, Ran^a | Wang, Lin^a | Liang, Zhigang^c | Chen, Kewei^d | Wu, Liyong^{a; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China | [b] State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China | [c] Department of Nuclear Medicine, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China | [d] Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Liyong Wu, 45 Changchun Street, Xicheng district, Beijing 100053, China. Tel.: +86 00861083198420; E-mail: wmywly@hotmail.com.

Abstract: Background:Pathologic processes in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) are not fully understood. Familial CJD (fCJD) gives opportunities to discover pathologic changes in the preclinical stage. Objective:To investigate cerebral glucose metabolism in the preclinical stage via 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) in fCJD. Methods:Seven asymptomatic carriers of G114V mutation and six family members without PRNP mutation from the same fCJD kindred were included, and were followed for 2 years. Ten symptomatic CJD patients were also recruited. All subjects underwent standardized clinical examinations and 18F-FDG PET scans. Results were compared in three groups: baseline carriers against non-carriers (baseline analysis), changes after 2 years in carriers (follow-up analysis), and differences between symptomatic CJD patients and healthy controls (CJD patients analysis). Results:No carriers developed any neurological symptoms during 2-year follow-up. Baseline analysis: carriers demonstrates decreased metabolism (p < 0.001) in left and right postcentral, left fusiform, left superior temporal, left lingual, left superior parietal, and left Heschl gyrus. Follow-up analysis shows metabolic decline (p < 0.001) in right inferior temporal, left supra-marginal and left postcentral lobe, and increased metabolism (p < 0.001) in left fusiform, left angular, left thalamus, left Heschl’s, right Rolandic operculum, and left superior parietal gyrus. CJD patients demonstrates decreased metabolism in right inferior triangularis frontal gyrus, right middle occipital gyrus, right putamen, right thalamus, and right middle temporal gyrus. Conclusion:Hypo-metabolism of parietal and temporal lobe can be detected by 18F-FDG PET in the preclinical stage of CJD. Subcortical area might compensate in the preclinical stage and decompensate in the symptomatic stage.

Keywords: Familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, metabolism, preclinical stage

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-200576

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 77, no. 4, pp. 1513-1521, 2020