Abstract
A landmark study from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported that the assessment of cognitive difficulties in children with epilepsy is timely and imperative. Anticonvulsant-induced cognitive impairment could influence the quality of life more than seizure itself in patients. Although monoaminergic system is involved in the regulation of cognitive process, its role in anticonvulsant-induced cognitive impairment remains unclear. Methods: To explore in vivo monoamine receptor binding activity in patients with anticonvulsant-induced cognitive impairment, each patient had PET imaging with both monoamine receptor binding agent, 11C-N-methylspiperone (11C-NMSP), and glucose metabolic agent, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG). Tests of Intelligence quotient (IQ), including verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ), performance IQ (PIQ) and full-scale IQ (FSIQ) were performed in each patient. Results: Compared to the patients with mono-therapy, patients with poly-therapy had significantly lower VIQ, PIQ and FSIQ (P < 0.01 in each comparison), as well as significantly lower monoamine receptor activities detected in the caudate nucleus, prefrontal cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and amygdale (P < 0.05 in each comparison). However, regarding to the glucose metabolism, there was no significant difference was found in patients with mono-therapy or poly-therapy (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Monoamine receptor-PET imaging could be a promising in vivo imaging biomarker for mapping anticonvulsant-induced cognitive impairment.
- Copyright © 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.