Parkinson's disease subtypes show a specific link between dopaminergic and glucose metabolism in the striatum

Previous studies have shown different clinical and imaging pattern in tremordominant and akinetic-rigid Parkinson's disease (PD) subtypes. The association between dopaminergic and glucose metabolism has in contrast not been investigated yet. Therefore, this study compared PD subtypes with respect to clinical and imaging findings with the aim of establishing a relationship between clinical subtypes, dopamine and glucose metabolism.

Two groups of a total of 64 idiopathic PD patients (42 male, 22 female, mean age 56 ± 10.9 years) were analysed: akinetic-rigid (AR, n = 32) and tremor-dominant (TD, n = 32) patients. Both were compared with respect to differential involvement of local striatal dopamine and glucose metabolism using [18F]-fluoro-L-dopa (F-dopa) and [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET.

The analysis of PD subgroups showed significant differences in the F-dopa uptake in the anterior putamen. Using the results of the local striatal dopamine difference as a volume of interest for the FDG-analysis, analysis of AR patients revealed a significantly lower normalised cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (nCMRGlc) within the ventral striatum.

The dual tracer study illlustrates clear differences between TD and AR subtypes in the ventral striatum. In accordance with previous FP-CIT-SPECT studies, it discloses congruent results for the presynaptic dopaminergic system and extends the knowledge about an additional involvement of local metabolic activity in the caudate and anterior putamen. The findings corroborate the specific role of distinct PD subtypes within the cerebello-thalamo-cortical-circuits. Multitracer PET imaging may thus enhance the knowledge about the clinical segregation into subtypes.