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[Positron emission tomography using pyruvate-1-11C on mitochondrial encephalomyopathy]
M Toyoda1, S Arai, N Sakuragawa
1Department of Pediatric Neurology, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
No to Shinkei = Brain and Nerve
|March 1, 1988
Summary
Positron emission tomography (PET) with pyruvate-1-11C reveals impaired brain pyruvate metabolism in mitochondrial encephalomyopathies, unlike in epilepsy. This technique aids in diagnosing these neurological disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biochemistry
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Investigating in vivo pyruvate metabolism in the brain is crucial for understanding neurological disorders.
- Positron emission tomography (PET) with pyruvate-1-11C offers a potential method for such investigations.
Observation:
- PET imaging in epilepsy patients showed rapid clearance of pyruvate-1-11C from brain tissues.
- In contrast, patients with mitochondrial encephalomyopathies exhibited increased uptake and slow clearance of pyruvate-1-11C in brain regions like the cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus.
Findings:
- Mitochondrial encephalomyopathies are associated with impaired pyruvate metabolism, potentially due to metabolic trapping of 11C by lactic acids.
- Pyruvate-1-11C is normally cleared rapidly from brain tissue via decarboxylation, a process seemingly disrupted in these conditions.
Implications:
- PET studies using pyruvate-1-11C are valuable tools for assessing brain pyruvate metabolism.
- This imaging technique shows promise for diagnosing mitochondrial encephalomyopathies, including Leigh disease.