Striatal Dopamine transporter in Parkinson's disease: A Study With a New Radioligand, [(123)I]B-CIT-FP.
Six healthy controls and 12 patients with Parkinson's disease in different disability stages were studied with SPECT using [(123)I]-N-(3-fluoropropyl)-2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-iodo-phenyl)-nortropane ([(123)I]beta-CIT-FP), a novel tracer, to label the striatal dopamine transporter. The mean uptake of [(123)I]beta-CIT-FP in the putamen was reduced to 60% of the control mean and to 80% of the average control value in the caudate nucleus. In patients with totally, or predominantly unilateral symptoms the reduction was greater on the side opposite to the predominant symptoms. There was a significant negative correlation between [(123)I]beta-CIT-FP uptake and the Hoehn and Yahr stage both in the putamen (r = - 0.70, p = 0.01) and caudate nucleus (r = - 0.81, p = 0.001). The present results show that SPECT with [(123)I]beta-CIT-FP is a useful method to study the function of presynaptic dopaminergic terminals in PD. Whether [(123)I]beta-CIT-FP provides advantages over widely used [(123)I]beta-CIT other than a shorter scan time and a lower striatal radiation exposure remains to be seen.
Rinne
J O
JO
Department of Neurology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Kuikka
J T
JT
Bergström
K A
KA
Hiltunen
J
J
Kilpelainen
H
H