Advanced

AJNR - American Journal of Neuroradiology

Published ahead of print on October 14, 2008
doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A1329

This Article Free to Access Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: ajnr.A1329v1 30/2/271    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Aydin, K. Articles by Dilber, C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Aydin, K. Articles by Dilber, C.

American Journal of Neuroradiology 30:271-275, February 2009
© 2009 American Society of Neuroradiology

PEDIATRICS

Reduced Gray Matter Volume in the Frontotemporal Cortex of Patients with Early Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis

K. Aydin^a, O. Okur^d, B. Tatli^b, S.G. Sarwar^c, C. Ozturk^d and C. Dilber^e

^a Department of Neuroradiology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
^b Department of Pediatric Neurology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
^c Department of Radiology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
^d Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Bogazici University, Bebek, Istanbul, Turkey
^e Department of Pediatrics, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey

Please address correspondence to Kubilay Aydin, MD, Adnan Saygun Caddesi, M.Salih Rustu bey sokak, Ulus Konaklari, No. 8/12, Ulus, Istanbul, Turkey; e-mail: draydink{at}superonline.com or aydink{at}istanbul.edu.tr

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a persistent infection of the central nervous system by the measles virus. Patients in the initial stages of SSPE show behavioral symptoms and usually normal cranial MR imaging findings. We aimed to investigate the gray matter volume changes in patients with early SSPE.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen patients with SSPE with normal cranial MR imaging findings and 30 sex- and age-matched control subjects were included in the study. Clinical parameters of the patients were quantified by using a neurologic disability index (NDI) as defined previously. We obtained T1-weighted magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo images from the patients and control subjects, and we applied an optimized method of voxel-based morphometry. We performed a cross-sectional analysis to search the gray matter volume differences between the patients and control subjects. The correlation between the gray matter distribution and the duration of symptoms, immunoglobulin G index, and NDI scores was tested.

RESULTS: We found that the cortical gray matter volume of patients was reduced in the frontotemporal regions including the bilateral cingulate cortex and amygdala. There was no correlation between the gray matter distribution of patients and the duration of symptoms or the NDI scores.

CONCLUSIONS: The current study demonstrated gray matter volume reduction in the frontotemporal cortex of patients with SSPE without any apparent lesions on conventional MR imaging. Because the cingulate cortex and amygdala are involved in emotion processing, gray matter loss in these regions may contribute to the development of early behavioral symptoms of SSPE.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Z. Kato, H. Sasai, N. Kondo, and T. Kato Scoring Clinical Functions in Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., August 1, 2009; 30(7): e99 - e99. [Full Text] [PDF]