title: The role of DAT-SPECT in movement disorders.
abstract: Dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging is a sensitive method to detect presynaptic dopamine neuronal dysfunction, which is a hallmark of neurodegenerative parkinsonism. DAT imaging can therefore assist the differentiation between conditions with and without presynaptic dopaminergic deficit. Diagnosis of Parkinson disease or tremor disorders can be achieved with high degrees of accuracy in cases with full expression of classical clinical features; however, diagnosis can be difficult, since there is a substantial clinical overlap especially in monosymptomatic tremor (dystonic tremor, essential tremor, Parkinson tremor). The use of DAT-SPECT can prove or excludes with high sensitivity nigrostriatal dysfunction in those cases and facilitates early and accurate diagnosis. Furthermore, a normal DAT-SPECT is helpful in supporting a diagnosis of drug-induced-, psychogenic- and vascular parkinsonism by excluding underlying true nigrostriatal dysfunction. This review addresses the value of DAT-SPECT and its impact on diagnostic accuracy in movement disorders presenting with tremor and/or parkinsonism.
authors.affiliation: Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College London, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kägi
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Bhatia
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tolosa
mesh_terms: D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D020961:Lewy Body Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D020734:Parkinsonian Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014202:Tremor / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins