Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026
Radiotracer Administration for High Temporal Resolution Positron Emission Tomography of the Human Brain: Application to FDG-fPET
Published on: October 22, 2019
Hypertension increases cerebral 6-18F-fluorodopa-derived radioactivity
David S Goldstein1, Courtney Holmes, Latoya Sewell
1Clinical Neurocardiology Section, Clinical Neurosciences Program, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. goldstein@ninds.nih.gov
Unlabelled:
6-(18)F-fluorodopa PET depicts the striatal dopaminergic lesion characterizing Parkinson disease (PD); however, striatal uptake of 6-(18)F-fluorodopa-derived radioactivity can be normal. Supine hypertension (SH) might increase 6-(18)F-fluorodopa uptake.
Methods:
We measured putamen, caudate, and occipital cortex 6-(18)F-fluorodopa-derived radioactivity and supine blood pressure in patients with PD + SH (systolic pressure >/= 180 mm Hg, n = 8), patients with PD without SH (PD - SH, n = 19), patients with pure autonomic failure (n = 8), and controls (n = 16).
Results:
Peak putamen radioactivity correlated with supine systolic pressure across all subjects and among PD patients and was higher in PD + SH than in PD - SH (P = 0.01). Both subgroups had rapid fractional declines in radioactivity between the peak and late values (P < 0.0001, compared with controls). Arterial 6-(18)F-fluorodopa concentrations were similar in the compared groups.
Conclusion:
In PD, SH is associated with augmented striatal 6-(18)F-fluorodopa-derived radioactivity. Regardless of SH, retention of 6-(18)F-fluorodopa-derived radioactivity is markedly reduced. A model-independent approach can identify striatal dopaminergic denervation in PD.
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