Central and peripheral dopamine transporter reduction in Parkinson's disease.
OBJECTIVE
Previous reports showed the reduction of dopamine transporter immunoreactivity in peripheral blood lymphocytes in Parkinson's disease. In this work, we sought to investigate the possible correlation between central and peripheral dopamine transporter immunoreactivity values in a group of 11 drug-naive patients with Parkinson's disease.


METHODS
Densitometric measurements of dopamine transporter immunoreactivity in peripheral blood lymphocytes was accomplished as described recently, using a monoclonal antidopamine transporter antibody. Dopamine transporter binding in the caudate and putamen nuclei was measured by means of (123)I-fluopane single-photon emission computed tomography in the same patients.


RESULTS
The results failed to show any significant correlation between dopamine transporter immunoreactivity in peripheral blood lymphocytes and the caudate or putamen dopamine transporter binding. Moreover, dopamine transporter immunoreactivity in peripheral blood lymphocytes was reduced also in the single patient with normal striatal dopamine transporter binding.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate the lack of correlation between central and peripheral dopamine transporter reduction in Parkinson's disease, using the methodologies applied herein. They therefore suggest that the two phenomena are unlikely to share a common pathogenetic mechanism.
Buttarelli
Francesca R
FR
Department of Neurological Sciences, Università di Roma 'Sapienza', Rome, Italy.
Capriotti
Gabriela
G
Pellicano
Clelia
C
Prosperi
Daniela
D
Circella
Annapia
A
Festa
Anna
A
Giovannelli
Morena
M
Tofani
Anna
A
Pontieri
Francesco E
FE
Scopinaro
Francesco
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011699:Putamen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods; D014326:Tropanes
D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D014326:Tropanes; C087552:2-carbomethoxy-8-(3-fluoropropyl)-3-(4-iodophenyl)tropane