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[123I]beta-CIT SPECT imaging of striatal dopamine transporter binding in Tourette's disorder
R T Malison1, C J McDougle, C H van Dyck
1Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn., USA.
Objective:
The authors examined whether subjects with Tourette's disorder have greater than normal striatal dopamine transporter densities, as suggested by previous post-mortem findings.
Method:
Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and [123I]2 beta-carbomethoxy-3 beta-(4-iodophenyl)tropane ([123I]beta-CIT) were used to assess dopamine transporter levels in five adult patients with Tourette's disorder and five age- and gender-matched healthy comparison subjects.
Results:
Striatal [123I]beta-CIT binding was a mean of 37% (range = 6%-79%) higher in the subjects with Tourette's disorder than in the comparison subjects, and each Tourette's disorder patient had a higher level than his or her paired comparison subject.
Conclusions:
These findings corroborate post-mortem results and support the hypothesis of a dysregulation in presynaptic dopamine function in Tourette's disorder.