Spared caudal brainstem SERT binding in early Parkinson's disease

• Published in: Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 441 - 444
• Main Authors: Albin, Roger L, Koeppe, Robert A, Bohnen, Nicolaas I, Wernette, Kristine, Kilbourn, Michael A, Frey, Kirk A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-03-2008; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Chemistry; Brain Stem - chemistry; Brain Stem - pathology; Case-Control Studies; Errors of metabolism; Female; Humans; Lipids (lysosomal enzyme disorders, storage diseases); Male; Medical sciences; Medulla Oblongata - chemistry; Medulla Oblongata - pathology; Metabolic diseases; Middle Aged; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Neurology; Parkinson Disease - metabolism; Parkinson Disease - pathology; Parkinson's disease; Positron-Emission Tomography; Prosencephalon - chemistry; Prosencephalon - pathology; Protein Binding - physiology; Radioligand Assay; Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins - analysis; Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins - metabolism; Time Factors; Vascular diseases and vascular malformations of the nervous system; medulla; serotonin; raphe; Nervous system diseases; Serotonin; Central nervous system disease; Neurotransmitter; Parkinson disease; Degenerative disease; Cerebrovascular disease; Cerebral disorder; Extrapyramidal syndrome
• ISSN: 0271-678X; 1559-7016
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.jcbfm.9600599

Postmortem data indicate loss of serotoninergic neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD). We used the serotonin transporter (SERT) radioligand 3-amino-4-(2-dimethylaminomethyl-phenylsulfaryl)-benzonitril (DASB) and positron emission tomography to examine SERT distribution and changes in early PD subjects. We studied five PD subjects (H&Y 1 to 2.5) and eight normal controls. There is reduced SERT binding in PD. The magnitude of DASB binding reductions was greater in the forebrain than in the brainstem regions. There was no asymmetry of diminished SERT binding. DASB binding in the medulla was relatively spared, inconsistent with the description of early prominent pathologic study in these caudal brainstem nuclei.