Parkinson's disease and dopamine transporter neuroimaging: a critical review

• Published in: São Paulo medical journal Vol. 124; no. 3; pp. 168 - 175
• Main Authors: Shih, Ming Chi, Hoexter, Marcelo Queiroz, Andrade, Luiz Augusto Franco de, Bressan, Rodrigo Affonseca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Associação Paulista de Medicina - APM 2006; Associação Paulista de Medicina
• Subjects: Diagnosis; Dopamine; Dopamine Agents; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; Emission-computed tomography; Humans; MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL; Organotechnetium Compounds; Parkinson disease; Parkinson Disease - diagnostic imaging; Positron-Emission Tomography - standards; Sensitivity and Specificity; Single-photon emission-computerized tomography; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon - standards; Tropanes; Doença de Parkinson; Dopamine; Diagnóstico; Dopamina; Tomografia computadorizada de emissão; Parkinson disease; Emission-computed tomography; Single-photon emission-computerized tomography; Tomografia computadorizada de emissão de fóton único; Diagnosis
• ISSN: 1516-3180; 1806-9460; 1516-3180
• DOI: 10.1590/S1516-31802006000300014

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder that is mainly caused by dopaminergic neuron loss in the substantia nigra. Several nuclear medicine radiotracers have been developed to evaluate PD diagnoses and disease evolution in vivo in PD patients. Positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon computerized emission tomography (SPECT) radiotracers for the dopamine transporter (DAT) provide good markers for the integrity of the presynaptic dopaminergic system affected in PD. Over the last decade, radiotracers suitable for imaging the DAT have been the subject of most efforts. In this review, we provide a critical discussion on the utility of DAT imaging for Parkinson's disease diagnosis (sensitivity and specificity).