Benzodiazepine receptors in spino-cerebellar degeneration studied with positron emission tomography

Benzodiazepine receptor (BZD-R) binding in spino-cerebellar degeneration was examined using positron emission tomography and carbon-11 labeled Ro15-1788. A total of 11 subjects consisted of 7 with sporadic olivo-ponto cerebellar atrophy (OPCA) and 4 with cerebellar cortical atrophy (CCA). Six healthy volunteers served as controls. BZD-R binding in the cerebellar cortex was significantly higher in OPCA patients than controls (p < 0.01). There was a tendency among CCA patients toward decreased BZD-R binding in the cerebellar cortex. In OPCA patients, a compensatory mechanism in the cerebellar cortex may play a role in the increase of BZD-R binding in the remaining nervous cells. (Namekawa, K.)