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The uptake, at rest, of 99mTc-exametazime into different brain regions was compared using SPECT for 20 elderly subjects with major depressive disorder, 20 with Alzheimer-type dementia, and 30 age-matched normal volunteers. Uptake was referred to calcarine-occipital cortex as a reference sensory area. Cross-sectional differences between the three groups were highly statistically significant, but reflected primarily the reductions in cortical uptake in the Alzheimer group. A detailed comparison of depressed patients and controls identified decrements in anterior cingulate, temporal and frontal cortex and in caudate and thalamus in men only. These decrements were correlated with impairment of performance on a trail-making task, but were also associated with continuing treatment with antidepressants or benzodiazepines. However, most depressed patients had quantitatively normal scans for posterior parietal association cortex, and this suggests that SPECT may find a limited role in the differential diagnosis of depression and dementia. The reduced brain function in some depressed patients may parallel the findings from studies of brain structure in elderly depressives; there was between good outcome at 6-18 months and increased tracer uptake in subcortical areas.

Original publication

DOI

10.1192/bjp.163.2.155

Type

Journal article

Journal

Br J Psychiatry

Publication Date

08/1993

Volume

163

Pages

155 - 165

Keywords

Age of Onset, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alzheimer Disease, Analysis of Variance, Brain, Cognition Disorders, Dementia, Depressive Disorder, Diagnosis, Differential, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Organotechnetium Compounds, Oximes, Sex Factors, Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime, Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon