Onset-related subtypes of Parkinson's disease differ in the patterns of striatal dopaminergic dysfunction: A positron emission tomography study

• Published in: Parkinsonism & related disorders 2015-12, Vol.21 (12), p.1448-1453
• Main Authors: Liu, Shu-Ying, Wu, Jian-Jun, Zhao, Jue, Huang, Si-Fei, Wang, Yi-Xuan, Ge, Jing-Jie, Wu, Ping, Zuo, Chuan-Tao, Ding, Zheng-Tong, Wang, Jian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: [11C]-CFT PET; Adult; Age of Onset; Aged; Carbon Radioisotopes - analysis; Carbon Radioisotopes - pharmacokinetics; Caudate Nucleus - chemistry; Caudate Nucleus - diagnostic imaging; Caudate Nucleus - pathology; Cocaine - analogs & derivatives; Cocaine - analysis; Cocaine - pharmacokinetics; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins - analysis; Dopaminergic Neurons - chemistry; Dopaminergic Neurons - diagnostic imaging; Dopaminergic Neurons - pathology; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neuroimaging - methods; Neurology; Organ Specificity; Parkinson Disease - classification; Parkinson Disease - diagnostic imaging; Parkinson Disease - pathology; Parkinson Disease - physiopathology; Parkinson's disease; Positron-Emission Tomography; Putamen - chemistry; Putamen - diagnostic imaging; Putamen - pathology; Radiopharmaceuticals - analysis; Radiopharmaceuticals - pharmacokinetics; Subtype; Tissue Distribution
• ISSN: 1353-8020; 1873-5126
• DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2015.10.017

Abstract Purpose The young-onset subtype of Parkinson's disease (YOPD) differs from the late-onset subtype (LOPD) in drug responsiveness, incidence of motor complications, and prognosis. The pathophysiology underlying these differences remains largely unknown. This study investigated whether the two subtypes differ in the pattern of dysfunction in striatal (caudate and putamen) dopaminergic system and if the dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging patterns are associated with the clinical features of corresponding PD subtype. Methods We assessed the spatial pattern of striatal dopaminergic dysfunction in 40 YOPD and 47 LOPD with early to mid-stage PD with DAT imaging by positron emission tomography. Two sub-regional parameters (caudate/putamen ratio and asymmetry index) were calculated to measure the spatial pattern of striatal dopaminergic dysfunction. Results The caudate/anterior putamen ratios were significantly higher in YOPD than that in the LOPD ( P  = 0.03 contralateral to the most affected side of the body and P  = 0.004 ipsilateral), which was supported by significantly inverse correlations between age of onset and caudate/anterior putamen ratios (r = −0.428, P