PET studies on brain monoamine transporters with carbon-11-beta-CIT in Parkinson's disease.
The cocaine analog 2 beta-carbomethoxy-3 beta-[4-iodophenyl]tropane (beta-CIT) labeled with 11C was used to study dopamine reuptake sites with PET.


METHODS
Three normal subjects and nine patients with Parkinson's disease were investigated. Each of them underwent a dynamic PET scan (25 timeframes over 80 min) with [11C]-beta-CIT. A dose of 102.5-211.3 MBq (2.77-5.71 mCi) of this ligand was administered intravenously and a PET examination with an ECAT 931/08 PET camera was carried out. Ratios between the striatal/cortical/thalamic/midbrain and cerebellar uptake of this radioligand were calculated.


RESULTS
The highest accumulation of [11C]beta-CIT was observed in the caudate and putamen, though there was some uptake in the thalamus and the midbrain. Cortical uptake was negligible. Carbon-11-beta-CIT accumulated significantly less in the putamen of the Parkinson's patients than in the normal subjects. The putamen-to-cerebellum ratio in the Parkinson's patients was 1.59 +/- 0.04 and 1.80 +/- 0.13s (p = 0.028) in the normal subjects. In the caudate, there was no significant difference between the Parkinson's patients and the normal subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
These results imply that [11C]beta-CIT is a useful compound for carrying out a PET examination of the function of the presynaptic monoaminergic neurons both in normal and pathological brains.
Laihinen
A O
AO
Department of Neurology, University of Turku, Finland.
Rinne
J O
JO
Någren
K A
KA
Lehikoinen
P K
PK
Oikonen
V J
VJ
Ruotsalainen
U H
UH
Ruottinen
H M
HM
Rinne
U K
UK
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D003042:Cocaine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D011699:Putamen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D013788:Thalamus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D012701:Serotonin; D007980:Levodopa; C069723:2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-iodophenyl)tropane; D003042:Cocaine; D004298:Dopamine