N-Isopropyl-p-123I-Amphetamine Single Photon Emission Computer Tomography in Motor Neuron Disease

Abstract
N-Isopropyl-p-123I-amphetamine (123I-IMP) single photon emission computer tomography studies were performed on 17 patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). All patients displayed varying degrees of impaired fixation of 123I-IMP in the whole brain. These findings were not related to the clinical variants of ALS and the age of the patients. A correlation between the severity of the disease and the degree of impaired fixation could be observed. In addition, patients suffering from ALS for longer periods showed more pronounced impairment of 123I-IMP fixation.