Regional cerebral metabolic rate for glucose in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

Regional cerebral metabolic rates for glucose (rCMRglc) were measured in two cases of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) with different clinical courses. A marked decrease in rCMRglc was found in the cortical gray matter of a patient with rapidly developing SSPE (3.6-4.2 mg/100 g brain tissue per min). However, the rCMRglc was preserved in the caudate and lenticular nuclei of the patient (7.7 mg/100 g per min). The rCMRglc in a patient with slowly developing SSPE revealed patterns and values similar to those of the control. The rCMRglc correlated better with the neurological and psychological status of SSPE.