Voxel-based distribution of metabolic impairment in corticobasal degeneration

This report emphasizes the precise topographic distribution of cerebral metabolic impairment in corticobasal degeneration (CBD) and the pathophysiological differences between CBD and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Statistical parametric mapping (SPM96) analysis of 18FDG positron emission tomography (PET) data was performed in 22 patients with CBD compared with 46 healthy subjects (HS) and 21 patients with PSP who were studied at rest. A statistical threshold of p <0.001 was fixed, further corrected for multiple or independent comparisons (p <0.05). In comparison with HS, the metabolic impairment in CBD was asymmetrically distributed in the putamen, thalamus, precentral (Brodmann's area, BA 4), lateral premotor (BA 6/44) and supplementary motor areas (SMA, BA 6), dorsolateral prefrontal (8/9/46) cortex, and the anterior part of the inferior parietal lobe (BA 40) including the intraparietal sulcus (BA 7/40). A similar hypometabolic pattern was observed for most individual analyses. When PSP was compared with CBD, metabolic impairment predominated in the midbrain, anterior cingulate (BA 24/32), and orbitofrontal regions (BA 10). The reverse contrast showed more posterior involvement in CBD (BA 6 and 5/7/40) including SMA. Our data suggest that multiple components of neural networks related to both movement execution and production of skilled movements are functionally disturbed in CBD compared with both HS and PSP.