Mega MS, Dinov ID, Lee L, O'Connor SM, Masterman DM, Wilen B, Mishkin F, Toga AW, Cummings JL. "Orbital and Dorsolateral Frontal Perfusion Defect Associated with Behavioral Response to Cholinesterase Inhibitor Therapy in Alzheimer's Disease.", J. Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 12:2, 1-10, 2000.

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Abstract The authors retrospectively explored the behavioral and functional imaging profile of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients who respond to cholinesterase inhibitor therapy by using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and baseline [99m Tc]HMPAO SPECT. Thirty AD patients were divided into three groups (Responders, Non-responders,and Unchanged) based on their behavioral response to donepezil. Responders had significantly (P<0.01) more pretreatment irritability, disinhibition (P<0.05), and euphoria (P<0.05) than non-responders and significantly lower lateral orbital frontal (P<0.00001) and dorsolateral frontal (P<0.0005) perfusion bilaterally. A pretreatment orbitofrontal syndrome may predict behavioral response to cholinesterase inhibitor therapy in AD.

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\Ivo D. Dinov, Ph.D., Lab of Neuro Imaging, UCLA School of Medicine/