Dopamine transporter binding in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome: a [123I]FP-CIT/SPECT study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiochemistry
• Neurology

Background:

• Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) is a neurological disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics.
• The role of the dopaminergic system in GTS pathophysiology is widely suspected but not fully elucidated.
• Dopamine transporters (DAT) play a crucial role in regulating dopaminergic neurotransmission.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate dopamine transporter (DAT) binding in neuroleptic-naïve/free patients with GTS.
• To compare DAT binding in GTS patients with age- and gender-matched healthy controls using SPECT imaging and [123I]FP-CIT.
• To explore potential correlations between DAT binding and clinical measures in GTS.

Main Methods:

• Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging was employed.
• [123I]FP-CIT, a radiotracer for DAT, was used to quantify binding.
• Ten patients with GTS and ten healthy controls underwent clinical evaluation, including assessment of GTS severity, affective symptoms, and GTS-related behaviors.

Main Results:

• GTS patients exhibited significantly higher striatal [123I]FP-CIT binding in both the caudate and putamen nuclei compared to controls.
• No significant associations were found between striatal binding ratios and measures of affect or GTS-related behaviors.
• These findings indicate altered dopamine transporter availability in the striatum of individuals with GTS.

Conclusions:

• Patients with GTS demonstrate increased striatal dopamine transporter binding compared to controls.
• These findings support the involvement of dopamine transporter abnormalities in the pathophysiology of GTS.
• The observed abnormalities in DAT binding are distributed across both the caudate and putamen regions of the striatum.