Regional brain uptake of 2-deoxyglucose in N-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced parkinsonism in the macaque monkey.

This preliminary report describes application of the 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) autoradiographic technique to study regional changes in brain metabolism in experimental parkinsonism, induced in the monkey by administration of the neurotoxin MPTP. In one monkey, rendered severely parkinsonian by MPTP, there was a marked increase in the uptake of 2DG in the globus pallidus (both medial and lateral segments) and in the ventral anterior and ventral lateral thalamic nuclei, in comparison to non-parkinsonian animals. Increased uptake of 2DG in the globus pallidus may reflect increased activity of striatopallidal synapses secondary to loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurones. The findings are in sharp contrast to our observations on regional brain metabolism in experimental choreiform dyskinesia in the monkey.