[Study of presynaptic nigrostriatal pathway by 123-I-FD-CIT-SPECT (DatSCAN SPECT) in primary orthostatic tremor].
BACKGROUND
Primary orthostatic tremor (OT) is defined as a clinical syndrome with high frequency (13-18 Hz) tremor when standing predominantly involving legs and trunk. OT is thought to be driven by an unique supraspinal tremor generator. Previous studies suggest that the nigrostriatal dopaminergic transmission is impaired in patients with OT.


METHODS
All three patients at an age of 56, 45 and 72 years fulfilled the diagnosis criteria of primary OT. The duration of illness amounted to 4, 3 and 1 year, respectively. The three patients had single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using 123-I-FP-CIT as dopamine transporter tracer (DatSCAN).


RESULTS
DatSCAN was normal in every patient.


CONCLUSIONS
OT is considered to be caused by a central oscillator because high-frequency tremor bursts are time locked in arm, leg, trunk, and even facial muscles and peripheral stimulation does not reset the tremor. Some reports suggest that the central generator may be located in the posterior fossa. In our patients presynaptic nigrostriatal pathway was normal.
Vaamonde
J
J
Sección de Neurología, Complejo Hospitalario de Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real. juliavaamonde@hotmail.com
García
A
A
Flores
J M
JM
Ibáñez
R
R
Gargallo
L
L
D000368:Aged; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D020329:Essential Tremor / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000378:metabolism*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*
D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D004298:Dopamine