Higher striatal dopamine transporters in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder: a SPECT study with [Tc] TRODAT-1.
OBJECTIVE
Dopamine has been implicated in the etiology of bipolar disorder. The aim of this study was to explore striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in euthymic bipolar patients.


METHODS
Seventeen drug-free euthymic bipolar patients were recruited. The availability of DAT was approximated using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with [99mTc] TRODAT-1.


RESULTS
Compared to the controls, the euthymic bipolar patients had significantly higher availability of striatal DAT.


CONCLUSIONS
Even for patients in the euthymic state, the DAT availability is still higher than that of the controls.
Chang
Ting Ting
TT
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Hospital, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Yeh
Tzung Lieh
TL
Chiu
Nan Tsing
NT
Chen
Po See
PS
Huang
Hsiang Yu
HY
Yang
Yen Kuang
YK
Lee
I Hui
IH
Lu
Ru Band
RB
D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism*; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods; D014326:Tropanes; D055815:Young Adult
D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014326:Tropanes; C104196:technetium Tc 99m TRODAT-1