Jonathan Brostoff

Source:InvestinME

Professor Jonathan Brostoff MA, DM, DSc(Med), FRCP, FRCPath, FIBiol, is a Senior Research Fellow and Professor Emeritus of Allergy and Environmental Health at Kings College, London. He was the Foundation Professor of Allergy and Environmental Health and Director of the Centre for Allergy Research at University College London. Whilst at University College Hospital he was Physician in charge of the Allergy Clinic. He is recognized as a leading international authority on food allergy and intolerance. Dr. Brostoff was the chair of the 2009 Invest in ME International ME Conference.

Studies

• 1997, Brain MR in chronic fatigue syndrome.

  "RESULTS:MR findings were abnormal in 13 (32%) of the patients in the study group (ages 34 to 78 years) and in 12 (28%) of the control subjects (ages 26 to 73 years). One patient with CFS had multiple areas of demyelination in the supratentorial periventricular white matter. Another patient with CFS and associated depression had a single focus of probable demyelination in the supratentorial periventricular white matter. In four patients with CFS (ages 34 to 48 years) MR abnormalities consisted of one or several punctate hyperintense foci in the corona radiata, centrum ovale, and frontal white matter. The remaining seven patients (ages 50 to 78 years) had frontoparietal subcortical white matter foci of high T2 signal. The prevalence of white matter hyperintensities was not different between the patients and the control subjects. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings suggest that no MR pattern of white matter abnormalities is specific to CFS."

• 1995, Brainstem perfusion is impaired in chronic fatigue syndrome.

  "ABSTRACT:We looked for brain perfusion abnormalities in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). An initial pilot study revealed widespread reduction of regional brain perfusion in 24 ME/CFS patients, compared with 24 normal volunteers. Hypoperfusion of the brainstem (0.72 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.80 +/- 0.04, p < 0.0001) was marked and constant. We then tested whether perfusion to the brainstem in ME/CFS patients differs from that in normals, patients with major depression, and others with epilepsy. Data from a total of 146 subjects were included in the present study: 40 normal volunteers, 67 patients with ME/CFS (24 in the pilot study, 16 with no psychiatric disorders, 13 with ME/CFS and depression, 14 with ME/CFS and other psychiatric disorders), 10 epileptics, 20 young depressed patients and 9 elderly depressed individuals. Brain perfusion ratios were calculated using 99Tcm-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (99Tcm-HMPAO) and single-photon emission tomography (SPET) with a dedicated three-detector gamma camera computer/system (GE Neurocam). Brain-stem hypoperfusion was confirmed in all ME/CFS patients. Furthermore, the 16 ME/CFS patients with no psychiatric disorders and the initial 24 patients in the pilot study showed significantly lower brainstem perfusion (0.71 +/- 0.03) than did depressed patients (0.77 +/- 0.03; ANOVA, p < 0.0001). Patients with ME/CFS have a generalized reduction of brain perfusion, with a particular pattern of hypoperfusion of the brainstem."

T2 hyperintensity An unusual bright spot on a T2-weighted MRI of the brain. Also known as an Unidentified Bright Object (UBO). T2 hyperintensities are often found in the periventricular region, where they may be referred to as "white matter hyperintensities" or "leukoaraiosis". They may also be found in the basal ganglia or brainstem, where they are sometimes referred to as "gray matter hyperintensities", or "subcortical hyperintensities". T2 hyperintensities can represent different things: lesions, dilated Virchow-Robin spaces, or demyelination. They are commonly found in elderly individuals and in neurological disorders. (Learn more: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

brainstem Region of the midbrain in adults, includes midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata and develops.

brainstem Region of the midbrain in adults, includes midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata and develops.