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FYI >Toxicol Ind Health 1994 Jul-Oct;10(4-5):561-71 > >NeuroSPECT findings in patients exposed to neurotoxic chemicals. > >Heuser G, Mena I, Alamos F >Division of Nuclear Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, >California 90509-2910, USA. > >Exposures to neurotoxic chemicals such as pesticides, glues, solvents, etc. >are known to induce neurologic and psychiatric symptomatology. We report on >41 patients--16 young patients (6 males, 10 females, age 34 +/- 8 yrs.) and >25 elderly patients (9 males, 16 females, age 55 +/- 7 yrs). Fifteen of them >were exposed to pesticides, and 29 to solvents. They were studied with >quantitative and qualitative analysis of regional cerebral blood flow >(rCBF), performed with 30 mCi of Xe-133 by inhalation, followed by 30 mCi of >Tc-HMPAO given intravenously. Imaging was performed with a brain dedicated >system, distribution of rCBF was assessed with automatic ROI definition, and >HMPAO was normalized to maximal pixel activity in the brain. Results of Xe >rCBF are expressed as mean and S.D. in ml/min/100g, and HMPAO as mean and >S.D. uptake per ROI, and compared with age-matched controls--10 young and 20 >elderly individuals. table: see text] We conclude that patients exposed to >chemicals present with diminished CBF, worse in the right hemisphere, with >random presentation of areas of hypoperfusion, more prevalent in the dorsal >frontal and parietal lobes. These findings are significantly different from >observations in patients with chronic fatigue and depression, suggesting >primary cortical effect, possibly due to a vasculitis process. > >PMID: 7778114, UI: 95296962 Tim Hodgens, Ph.D. Psychologist 18 Lyman St Westborough, MA