Association of autonomic symptoms with presynaptic striatal dopamine depletion in drug-naive Parkinson's disease: An analysis of the PPMI data

• Published in: Autonomic neuroscience 2019-01, Vol.216, p.59-62
• Main Authors: Kim, Ryul, Jun, Jin-Sun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Autonomic; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases - complications; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases - diagnosis; Biomarkers - metabolism; Caudate Nucleus - metabolism; DAT; Dopamine - metabolism; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins - metabolism; Dopamine transporter; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Parkinson Disease - complications; Parkinson Disease - diagnosis; Parkinson's disease; Putamen - metabolism; Striatal
• ISSN: 1566-0702; 1872-7484
• DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2018.09.005

While the involvement of the central and peripheral autonomic networks is thought to play an integral role in the development of autonomic symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD), there is little evidence for an association between autonomic symptoms and striatal dopaminergic depletion. We compared dopamine transporter activity in striatal subregions with various autonomic symptoms covered by the SCOPA-AUT domains including gastrointestinal, urinary, cardiovascular, thermoregulatory, pupillomotor, and sexual symptoms in 418 untreated patients with PD. We found evidence for a dopaminergic association with only urinary symptoms. Moreover, dopaminergic denervation in the putamen but not in the caudate may underlie these symptoms. •Association of striatal dopamine depletion with autonomic symptoms was assessed in untreated PD.•Autonomic symptoms were evaluated using the SCOPA-AUT.•Lower DAT activity in the putamen but not in the caudate was related to urinary symptoms.•Striatal DAT activities were not associated with other autonomic symptoms.