Abstract

Background: Brain perfusion deficits have been reported previously in subjects with Parkinson’s disease in comparison with healthy controls.

Objective: To carry out a longitudinal study of perfusion in patients with Parkinson’s disease and controls to find areas showing a reduction in perfusion over one year.

Methods: Two HMPAO cerebral perfusion scans were acquired one year apart in 30 subjects with Parkinson’s disease (mean (SD) age, 76 (5) years) and 34 healthy comparison subjects (76 (7) years). Scans were normalised to the mean intensity in the cerebellum.

Results: Using SPM99 within groups to investigate regions that showed a decrease in perfusion between scans, it was found that in Parkinson’s disease subjects but not controls there was a significant cluster in the frontal lobe (Brodmann area 10) where perfusion decreased over the year.

Conclusions: The progressive frontal perfusion deficits in Parkinson’s disease are consistent with results from previous structural and neuropsychological studies suggesting frontal lobe involvement and executive dysfunction even in early Parkinson’s disease.