Repository logo
 

Brain metabolic changes across King’s stages in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a 18 F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy- d -glucose-positron emission tomography study

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Change log

Authors

Calvo, Andrea 
Moglia, Cristina 
Manera, Umberto 
Vasta, Rosario 

Abstract

Abstract: Purpose: To assess the brain metabolic correlates of the different regional extent of ALS, evaluated with the King’s staging system, using brain 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose-PET (18F-FDG-PET). Methods: Three hundred ninety ALS cases with King’s stages 1, 2, and 3 (n = 390), i.e., involvement of 1, 2, and 3 body regions respectively, underwent brain 18F-FDG-PET at diagnosis. King’s stage at PET was derived from ALSFRS-R and was regressed out against whole-brain metabolism in the whole sample. The full factorial design confirmed the hypothesis that differences among groups (King’s 1, King’s 2, King’s 3, and 40 healthy controls (HC)) existed overall. Comparisons among stages and between each group and HC were performed. We included age at PET and sex as covariates. Results: Brain metabolism was inversely correlated with stage in medial frontal gyrus bilaterally, and right precentral and postcentral gyri. The full factorial design resulted in a significant main effect of groups. There was no significant difference between stages 1 and 2. Comparing stage 3 to stage 1+2, a significant relative hypometabolism was highlighted in the former in the left precentral and medial frontal gyri, and in the right medial frontal, postcentral, precentral, and middle frontal gyri. The comparisons between each group and HC showed the extension of frontal metabolic changes from stage 1 to stage 3, with the larger metabolic gap between stages 2 and 3. Conclusions: Our findings support the hypothesis that in ALS, the propagation of neurodegeneration follows a corticofugal, regional ordered pattern, extending from the motor cortex to posterior and anterior regions.

Description

Keywords

Original Article, Neurology, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, 18F-FDG-PET, King’s staging system

Journal Title

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1619-7070
1619-7089

Volume Title

48

Publisher

Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Sponsorship
Fondation Thierry Latran (INSPIRED Project, INSPIRED Project, INSPIRED Project, INSPIRED Project)
Ministero della Salute (RF-2016-02362405)
Seventh Framework Programme (259867)
Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca (PRIN 2017SNW5MB, The Joint Programme - Neurodegenerative Disease Research (Strength and Brain-Mend projects), Department of Excellence grant)