Brain Glucose Metabolism in Hypothyroidism: A Positron Emission Tomography Study before and after Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy
Open Access
- 1 August 2009
- journal article
- other
- Published by The Endocrine Society in Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
- Vol. 94 (8), 2922-2929
- https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2008-2235
Abstract
Context: Hypothyroidism is frequently associated with subtle behavioral and psychiatric symptoms. The consequences of inadequate thyroid hormone availability to brain metabolism are poorly understood. Objective: This study assessed the relationships between neuropsychiatric symptoms and changes in relative regional cerebral glucose metabolism in hypothyroid patients undergoing thyroid hormone replacement therapy. Design, Setting, and Outcome Measure: Relative regional cerebral glucose metabolism was compared in 13 previously untreated hypothyroid patients and 10 healthy control participants. Effects of thyroid hormone replacement therapy (levothyroxine, 3 months) were assessed using neuropsychiatric measures and positron emission tomography with [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose. Results: Before treatment, hypothyroid patients exhibited lower regional activity than control subjects in the bilateral amygdala, hippocampus, and perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), left subgenual ACC, and right posterior cingulate cortex. Severity of depressive symptoms covaried negatively with pretreatment activity in the bilateral middle frontal gyrus and right subgenual and dorsal ACC. Thyroid hormone replacement therapy abolished pretreatment group differences in regional activity, robustly increased activity in the ventral ACC, and significantly reduced both clinician-rated and self-rated behavioral and psychiatric symptoms. Increased activity within the ventral ACC was associated with reduced somatic complaints, whereas increased activity within the dorsal ACC was associated with reduced depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Reduction of the behavioral complaints during thyroid hormone therapy is associated with a restoration of metabolic activity in brain areas that are integral to the regulation of affect and cognition. The findings suggest that thyroid hormone modulates regional glucose metabolism and psychiatric symptoms in the mature brain.Keywords
This publication has 22 references indexed in Scilit:
- Cerebral Accumulation of TC-99M Ethyl Cysteinate Dimer (ECD) in Severe, Transient HypothyroidismJournal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, 2005
- Perspectives in the Study of Thyroid Hormone Action on Brain Development and FunctionThyroid®, 2003
- Thyroid Hormones in Neural TissuePublished by Elsevier BV ,2002
- Cerebral Blood Flow and Glucose Metabolism in Hypothyroidism: A Positron Emission Tomography StudyJournal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2001
- Brain metabolism in hypothyroidism studied with 31P magnetic-resonance spectroscopyThe Lancet, 1995
- Tomographic measurement of local cerebral glucose metabolic rate in humans with (F‐18)2‐fluoro‐2‐deoxy‐D‐glucose: Validation of methodAnnals of Neurology, 1979
- The [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose method for the measurement of local cerebral glucose utilization in man.Circulation Research, 1979
- “Mini-mental state”: A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinicianJournal of Psychiatric Research, 1975
- Mental Changes Accompanying Thyroid Gland DysfunctionArchives of General Psychiatry, 1969
- A RATING SCALE FOR DEPRESSIONJournal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 1960