Dopamine transporter binding in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome: a [123I]FP-CIT/SPECT study.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate dopamine transporter binding in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) with SPECT and [123I]FP-CIT.


METHODS
Ten neuroleptic naïve/free patients with GTS, and 10 age- and gender-matched normal volunteers were studied. Subjects were clinically evaluated. GTS severity and affective symptoms were measured and the presence of GTS-related behaviours were recorded.


RESULTS
The GTS group showed significantly higher binding in both caudate and putamen nuclei than the controls. No associations were found between striatal binding ratios and measures of affect or GTS-related behaviours.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with GTS show higher striatal binding of FP-CIT to the striatum in comparison with age- and gender-matched control subjects, indicating that dopamine transporter abnormalities are involved in the pathophysiology of GTS. These abnormalities appear to be distributed across both caudate and putamen.
Serra-Mestres
J
J
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK. jordi.serra-mestres@thh.nhs.uk
Ring
H A
HA
Costa
D C
DC
Gacinovic
S
S
Walker
Z
Z
Lees
A J
AJ
Robertson
M M
MM
Trimble
M R
MR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011699:Putamen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D005879:Tourette Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D014326:Tropanes
D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014326:Tropanes; C087552:2-carbomethoxy-8-(3-fluoropropyl)-3-(4-iodophenyl)tropane; D004298:Dopamine