title: Pilot study on the effect of estrogen replacement therapy on brain dopamine transporter availability in healthy, postmenopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Authors investigated the association between estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) and dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirteen postmenopausal women were administered ERT and underwent neuroimaging, using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and [99mTc]TRODAT-1, a radioligand that binds DAT. In this 6-week pilot study, subjects underwent SPECT before ERT, after 4 weeks of 0.625 mg/day of conjugated estrogens (CEE), and after an additional 2 weeks of 0.625 mg/day CEE plus 10 mg/day of medroxyprogesterone acetate. Specific uptake values (SUVs) of [99mTc]TRODAT-1 were calculated for the caudate and putamen.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When compared with baseline values, [99mTc]TRODAT-1 binding demonstrated a modest, but statistically significant, increase in the left anterior putamen after 4 weeks of CEE. After the 6-week ERT intervention, both the left and right anterior putamen demonstrated an increase in SUVs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Short-term administration of ERT in postmenopausal women is associated with a modest increase in DAT in the putamen. These findings may further the understanding of how ERT is associated with improvement in Parkinson's disease and late-onset schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: ePharmaLearning, Inc. sgardiner@epharmalearning.com
authors.forename: Sara A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Gardiner
authors.forename: Mary F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: P David
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Mozley
authors.forename: Lyn Harper
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Mozley
authors.forename: Colleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brensinger
authors.forename: Warren
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bilker
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Newberg
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Battistini
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D017698:Postmenopause; D011699:Putamen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects; D012016:Reference Values; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014326:Tropanes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
chemical_list: D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP); D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; C493214:SLC6A3 protein, human; D014326:Tropanes; C104196:technetium Tc 99m TRODAT-1; D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate