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Extrastriatal monoamine neuron function in Parkinson's disease: an 18F-dopa PET study
Robert Y Moore1, Alan L Whone, David J Brooks
1Division of Neuroscience and MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Cyclotron Building, Imperial College, Hammersmith Hospital, London W12 ONN, UK.
Neurobiology of Disease
|January 30, 2008
Summary
Parkinson's disease (PD) involves early motor cortex dysfunction and later frontal area involvement. Compensatory responses in some brain areas occur until advanced stages of this neurodegenerative disease.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Parkinson's disease (PD) primarily involves nigrostriatal dopamine neuron degeneration.
- Extrastriatal monoamine systems are implicated, especially in later disease stages.
- Understanding extrastriatal involvement is crucial for PD pathophysiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize extrastriatal monoamine neuronal dysfunction in Parkinson's disease using (18)F-dopa PET.
- To investigate the progression of neuronal dysfunction across different brain regions in PD.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study design.
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging with (18)F-dopa.
- Involved 16 healthy controls and 41 Parkinson's disease patients.
Main Results:
- Decreased (18)F-dopa uptake observed in cortical motor areas, including the motor cortex, even in early PD.
- Frontal association areas affected in later PD; limbic areas largely spared except hypothalamus.
- Substantia nigra, midbrain raphe, and locus coeruleus showed normal or increased uptake until advanced PD, suggesting compensation.
- Red nucleus, subthalamus, ventral thalamus, and pineal gland also eventually involved.
Conclusions:
- Extrastriatal monoamine systems show dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.
- Early involvement of motor cortex and compensatory mechanisms in certain nuclei are key findings.
- Findings enhance in vivo understanding of PD pathophysiology, complementing pathological studies.
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