Positron emission tomography in Shy-Drager syndrome.
We studied the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway in 3 patients with Shy-Drager syndrome, by using positron emission tomography and [18F]6-fluoro-1-dopa to determine whether their parkinsonism correlated with impaired functional integrity of the presynaptic nigrostriatal pathway. One patient had short duration of disease, mild parkinsonism, and a normal positron emission tomographic scan, suggesting pathological changes functionally distal to the nigrostriatal pathway. Two patients with longer duration of disease had more severe parkinsonism and reduced [18F]6-fluoro-1-dopa uptake, suggesting impaired nigrostriatal dopaminergic function with progression of Shy-Drager syndrome.
Bhatt
M H
MH
Belzberg Laboratory of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Neurology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Snow
B J
BJ
Martin
W R
WR
Cooper
S
S
Calne
D B
DB
D000368:Aged; D001342:Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012791:Shy-Drager Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D004298:Dopamine