• Yo Ushuijima, Chio Okuyama, Satoru Mori, Takao Kubota, Takako Nakai, and Tsunehiko Nishimura.
• Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan. yushi@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp
• Ann Nucl Med. 2006 Jul 1;20(6):425-9.

ObjectiveTreatment with donepezil improves cognitive function of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) when compared to a placebo-controlled group. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) of AD patients in short-term and long-term treatment with donepezil.MethodsrCBF was measured by N-isopropyl-p-123I-iodoamphetamine (IMP) autoradiography method. CBF measurements were performed in 17 AD patients before treatment and after 3 months (short-term therapy) and 1 year (long-term therapy). Regions of interest were set at cerebral cortex and cerebellar hemisphere. We used absolute CBF and relative CBF expressed as ratio to cerebellar CBF.ResultsSignificant increases in relative rCBF were noted in the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes at the end of short-term therapy. rCBF was decreased after the long-term therapy, whereas rCBF was still increased to a slight extent, as compared with the pre-treatment levels. Absolute rCBF showed minimal change and a tendency to decline.ConclusionRelative rCBF significantly increased in the short-term donepezil therapy, while following the long-term therapy, rCBF decreased to the pre-treatment level.

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