More research needs to be done, and scientists need "to go through the basic science to find the real biological cause of such anatomical brain changes," said Squitieri. White matter volume loss may become a potential presymptomatic biomarker, while grey matter volume loss (loss of neurons) may represent a marker of disease progression in individuals with Huntington's, he said. Increased cerebrospinal fluid may be the best predictor of disease stage. Squitieri added that the participation and contribution of patients and their families to this type of study is crucial to further research of the disease.

Besides Squitieri, co-authors of "Brain White-Matter Volume Loss and Glucose Hypometabolism Precede the Clinical Symptoms of Huntington's Disease" are Andrea Ciarmiello, M.D., and Secondo Lastoria, M.D., Nuclear Medicine Unit, IRCCS G. Pascale, Naples, Italy; Milena Cannella, Ph.D., and Maria Simonelli, DPM, Neurogenetics Unit, IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Isernia, Italy; Luigi Frati, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Experimental Medicine and Pathology, University La Sapienza of Rome, Rome, Italy, and IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Isernia, Italy; and David C. Rubinsztein, M.B., Ph.D., Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, England.


About SNM
SNM is an international scientific and professional organization of more than 16,000 members dedicated to promoting the science, technology and practical applications of molecular and nuclear imaging to diagnose, manage and treat diseases in women, men and children. Founded more than 50 years ago, SNM continues to train physicians, technologists, scientists, physicists, chemists and radiopharmacists in state-of-the-art imaging procedures and advances; provide essential resources for health care practitioners and patients; publish the most prominent peer-reviewed resource in the field; sponsor research grants, fellowships and awards; and host the premier annual meeting for medical imaging. SNM members have introduced--and continue to explore--biological and technological innovations in medicine that non-invasively investigate the molecular basis of diseases, benefiting countless generations of patients. SNM is based in Reston, Va.; additional information can be found online at http://www.snm.org.

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