E-Pearl of the Week: Functional Neuroimaging in Kleine-Levin syndrome

November 1, 2012

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October 31, 2012

Functional Neuroimaging in Kleine–Levin syndrome

Kleine–Levin syndrome predominantly affects adolescent males and is clinically defined by repeated episodes of hypersomnia and cognitive and behavioral abnormalities such as hyperphagia and hypersexuality. These episodes usually last days to weeks, and patients have normal behavior and sleep in the intervening weeks or months. Functional neuroimaging has been performed in individual cases or small series of patients during symptomatic episodes. The most consistent finding in studies using SPECT is thalamic hypoperfusion. FDG–PET scans have shown increased brain glucose metabolism in the anterior caudate nuclei, cingulate gyri, and premotor cortex and decreased metabolism in the hypothalamus, orbitofrontal and frontal parasagittal areas, and posterior regions.

Reference

1. Haba–Rubio J, Prior JO, Guedj E, Tafti M, Heinzer R, Rossetti AO. Kleine–Levin syndrome: functional imaging correlates of hypersomnia and behavioral symptoms. Neurology 2012; 79: 1927–1929.
2. Lo YC, Chou YH, Yu HY. PET finding in Kleine–Levin syndrome. Sleep Med 2012;13: 771–772.

Submitted by: Jennifer E. Fugate, DO

Disclosure: Dr. Fugate serves on the editorial team for the Neurology Resident and Fellow Section.

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