title: Nigrostriatal function in vitamin E deficiency: clinical, experimental, and positron emission tomographic studies.
abstract: Four patients with vitamin E deficiency and sensory ataxia were studied using [18F]dopa positron emission tomography. The 2 most disabled patients, who had severe and prolonged vitamin E deficiency due to abetalipoproteinemia, showed reduced [18F]dopa uptake in both putamen and caudate. Putaminal uptake was in a similar range to that seen in Parkinson's disease. Studies of [3H]mazindol binding in the striatum of vitamin E--deficient rats indicated a reduced number of dopamine terminals, which was most severe in ventrolateral striatum. These observations suggest that severe and prolonged vitamin E deficiency results in loss of nigrostriatal nerve terminals, and support the hypothesis that oxidative stress may contribute to the etiology of Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Science Division, King's College, London, UK.
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Dexter
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Harding
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Burn
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Muller
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Goss-Sampson
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Jenner
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Marsden
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008454:Mazindol; D008875:Middle Aged; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014316:Tritium; D014811:Vitamin E Deficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D014316:Tritium; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine; D008454:Mazindol; D004298:Dopamine