Frontal dysfunction underlies depressive syndrome in Alzheimer disease: a FDG-PET study

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the regional cerebral dysfunction associated with depressive syndrome in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). METHOD: Twelve patients with AD with depressive syndrome (ADD) and 12 age-, gender-, and severity-matched patients with AD without depressive syndrome (ADND) underwent FDG-PET scanning. The regional cerebral glucose metabolism in the two groups was compared using a voxel-based method. RESULTS: The ADD group showed lower glucose metabolism in the right superior frontal gyrus than the ADND group. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that frontal dysfunction, known to be associated with primary or other secondary depressive syndromes, underlies the depressive syndrome of patients with AD patients as well