Faculty Bibliography

(18)F-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose ((18)FDG) is a positron emitting tracer for rate of glucose utilization in brain. When used in conjunction with positron emission tomography (PET), the PET-FDG technique permits in vivo quantitation of regional brain metabolism in man. We have applied this technique to the study of regional brain function in normal aging and senile dementia. Preliminary results for 7 patients with senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type (SDAT) and 3 elderly normal subjects indicated a large, statistically significant (p < 0.01) diminution in rate of glucose utilization in SDAT. Furthermore, the degree of diminution in metabolic activity in SDAT was highly correlated with objective measures of degree of cognitive impairment. These results demonstrate the feasibility and potential utility of the PET-FDG technique for studying regional brain function in normal aging and dementia.

This is the first report of a catatonic syndrome occurring in a patient receiving disulfiram treatment. A causal relationship is strongly suggested by the mode of onset, the absence of a previous history of catatonia, and the rapid resolution of the syndrome within 72 hours of discontinuance of the disulfiram therapy. Neurophysiological mechanisms which aid in elucidating the role of disulfiram in the etiology of catatonia are discussed. It is important that physicians be alerted to this serious, potentially lethal, complication, as it is readily reversible if the disulfiram is discontinued and appropriate supportive measures are taken. Also, it appears that these patients may be more susceptible to complications with future disulfiram usage and should be strongly counseled to seek alternative therapies for their alcohol problems in the future

A questionnaire regarding medication preferences for major categories of psychiatric disorders was sent to 1,059 psychiatric drug investigators in 53 countries. 264 questionnaires were returned, of which 165 were appropriate for this survey. A total of 87 different psychotropic drugs were selected. Chlorpromazine was the medication most frequently cited in the treatment of schizophrenia. Amitriptyline and imipramine together accounted for the vast majority of medication chosen for all varieties of depression. In the treatment of mania, chlorpromazine was chosen by almost one-third of our sample, lithium by only one-fifth. Chlordiazepoxide and diazepam were equally preferred in the treatment of alcoholism. Most psychiatrists preferred not to use any psychotropic medications consistently in treating patients with organic brain syndromes. The implications of this study are discussed and compared uith similar studies in more limited geographical regions and in children