Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging of the dopamine transporter in healthy dogs

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with the cocaine-analogue [(123)I]-FP-CIT is widely used for in vivo assessment of the dopamine transporter (DAT) availability. Dopaminergic disturbance has been implicated in neurological and behavioural disorders in humans and animals. Ten healthy dogs were scanned at three different time points (between 3 h and 6 h post-tracer injection) under general anaesthesia (1.4% isoflurane). A pseudo-equilibral state was reached 3-6 h after tracer injection with normal reference values for the DAT binding indices (mean±SD) of 15.39±2.38 (left) and 15.23±2.23 (right). By determining the pseudo-equilibrium and the normal DAT binding indices of normally behaving dogs, this study paves the way for future research on the relationship between abnormal canine behaviour and a disturbed dopaminergic system.