Corticobasal degeneration: structural and functional MRI and single-photon emission computed tomography

We studied seven patients with corticobasal degeneration (CBD) from a clinical and imaging perspective. We describe the main morphological features of CBD and, using functional MRI, try to define the possible role of the parietal lobe in simple and complex learned motor sequences. We showed decreased activation of the parietal lobe contralateral to the more affected arm, when movements, simple or complex, are performed with that hand. Moreover we found that functional imaging can demonstrate parietal and motor cortex dysfunction before structural, and even single-photon emission computed tomography changes become evident.