Striatal uptake of a novel PET ligand, [18F]β-CFT, is reduced in early Parkinson's disease

[F-18]beta-CFT is a novel PET ligand for dopamine reuptake sites. In this study, [F-18]beta-CFT uptake was studied in nine patients with early Parkinson's disease (PD) without antiparkinsonian medication and in six age-matched controls. The uptake of [F-18]beta-CFT was calculated as a (region-cerebellum)/cerebellum ratio at 150-210 min after injection. The mean uptake in the putamen contralateral to the predominant symptoms (1.04 +/- 0.40, mean +/- SD; P < 0.001) was reduced to 31% of the mean control value. In the "ipsilateral" putamen, the ratio in PD patients (1.50 +/- 0.50, P < 0.001) was reduced to 45% of the control mean (3.33 +/- 0.61). Individually, all PD patients had [F-18]beta-CFT uptake values below 2 SD from the control mean in the contralateral putamen. The decline in [F-18]beta-CFT uptake in the caudate nucleus was milder than that seen in the putamen. The uptake was reduced contralaterally (2.19 +/- 0.47, P < 0.01) to 67% and ipsilaterally (2.49 +/- 0.54, P < 0.05) to 77% of the control mean (3.17 +/- 0.61). In the medial frontal cortex or dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, no significant difference in [F-18]beta-CFT uptake between patients and controls was seen. In conclusion, [F-18]beta-CFT is a powerful ligand to demonstrate presynaptic dopaminergic defect in PD and shows a clear separation of patient and control values. Synapse 31:119-124, 1999. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.