Cerebellar hyperperfusion in semantic dementia

• Published in: Neurocase Vol. 20; no. 2; pp. 175 - 182
• Main Authors: Vella, Alessandra, Della Nave, Riccardo, Vetrugno, Roberto, Diciotti, Stefano, Boschi, Stefania, Banci Bonamici, Fabrizio, Mascalchi, Mario
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Colchester Routledge 04-03-2014; Psychology Press
• Subjects: Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aphasia, Primary Progressive - diagnosis; Aphasia, Primary Progressive - diagnostic imaging; Aphasia, Primary Progressive - etiology; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebellum; Cerebellum - blood supply; Cerebellum - diagnostic imaging; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Female; Frontotemporal Dementia - complications; Frontotemporal Dementia - diagnosis; Frontotemporal Dementia - diagnostic imaging; Humans; Language; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neurodegeneration; Neurology; Organic mental disorders. Neuropsychology; Perfusion; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; SPECT; Temporal Lobe - blood supply; Temporal Lobe - diagnostic imaging; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; Cerebellum; Human; Semantic dementia; Nervous system diseases; Central nervous system; Single photon emission tomography; Photon; SPECT; Encephalon; Cerebral disorder; Language; Perfusion; Neurodegeneration; Central nervous system disease; Degenerative disease; Degeneration
• ISSN: 1355-4794; 1465-3656
• DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2012.741255

Despite evidence of a cerebellar contribution to language, possible functional changes of the cerebellum in patients with language impairment secondary to cerebral neurodegeneration has not been investigated so far. We examined with resting perfusion single photon emission tomography one patient with semantic dementia and the data were compared with a normal subject database. Region of interest and Statistical Parametric Mapping 2 analysis showed in the patient hypoperfusion of the left temporal and parietal lobe and hyperperfusion in the superior vermis and cerebellar hemispheres (lobules IV, V, and VI). The cerebellum shows increased flow of possible compensatory significance in patients with language disturbance associated to cerebral degenerative changes.