Correlation between automated writing movements and striatal dopaminergic innervation in patients with Wilson's disease.
Handwriting defects are an early sign of motor impairment in patients with Wilson's disease. The basal ganglia being the primary site of copper accumulation in the brain suggests a correlation with lesions in the nigrostiatal dopaminergic system. We have analysed and correlated striatal dopaminergic innervation using [(123)I]beta-CIT-SPECT and automated handwriting movements in 37 patients with Wilson's disease. There was a significant correlation of putaminal dopaminergic innervation with fine motor ability (p < 0,05 for NIV [number of inversion in velocity], NIA [number of inversion in acceleration], frequency). These data suggest that loss of dorsolateral striatal dopaminergic innervation has a pathophysiological function for decreased automated motor control in Wilson's disease. Furthermore analysis of automated handwriting movements could be useful for therapy monitoring and evaluation of striatal dopaminergic innervation.
Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig, Liebigstr. 22a, 04107 Leipzig, Germany.
Wieland
W
Hermann
Birk
B
Eggers
Henryk
H
Barthel
Daniel
D
Clark
Thomas
T
Villmann
Swen
S
Hesse
Friedrich
F
Grahmann
Hans-Jürgen
HJ
Kühn
Osama
O
Sabri
Armin
A
Wagner
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism*; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D005260:Female; D006236:Handwriting; D006527:Hepatolenticular Degeneration / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012737:Sex Factors; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins