Metabolic Mapping of Functional Activity in Human Subjects with the [ ¹⁸ F]Fluorodeoxyglucose Technique

TLDR

The 2‑[18F]fluoro‑2‑deoxy‑D‑glucose technique measured regional cerebral glucose utilization during functional activation in human subjects. Sensory stimulation produced focal increases in glucose metabolism, with contralateral activation of striate cortex, postcentral gyrus, and auditory cortex, demonstrating the technique’s ability to map functional activity in vivo.

Abstract

The 2-[ 18 F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose technique was used to measure regional cerebral glucose utilization by human subjects during functional activation. Normal male volunteers subjected to one or more sensory stimuli (tactile, visual, or auditory) exhibited focal increases in glucose metabolism in response to the stimulus. Unilateral visual hemifield stimulation caused the contralateral striate cortex to become more metabolically active than the striate cortex ipsilateral to the stimulated hemifield. Similarly, stroking the fingers and hand of one arm with a brush produced an increase in metabolism in the contralateral postcentral gyrus, compared with the homologous ipsilateral region. The auditory stimulus, which consisted of a monaurally presented factual story caused an increase in glucose metabolism in the auditory cortex in the hemisphere contralateral to the stimulated ear. These results demonstrate that the technique is capable of providing functional maps in vivo related to both body region and submodality of sensory information in the human brain.