PET builds case in Parkinson's diagnosis
A functional marker detected with PET scanning may help early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, according to researchers in the U.S and U.K. Trial results may lead to better understanding of PD's progression and treatment. Investigators from the
A functional marker detected with PET scanning may help early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, according to researchers in the U.S and U.K. Trial results may lead to better understanding of PD's progression and treatment.
Investigators from the University of Pittsburgh and the Imperial College of Medicine in London scanned 41 patients with PD and 16 healthy subjects using PET with F-18 dopa. After gauging F-18 dopa uptake in the locus coeruleus and midbrain raphe, they found evidence of nerve cell degeneration in these areas in PD patients.
"We were able to see changes in these areas for the very first time," said lead author Dr. Robert Y. Moore, codirector of UP's National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence.
He presented trial results April 2 at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in Honolulu.
F-18 dopa uptake in the early PD patients' raphe was higher than that of normal individuals, while uptake in the locus coeruleus was similar in both groups. Advanced PD patients, however, showed a lower F-18 dopa uptake than controls in both the locus coeruleus and raphe.
Until now, these changes could be seen only on postmortem examination. This study showed that both degenerative and compensatory changes in PD can be documented in vivo during the course of the disease in monoaminergic nuclei outside the nigrostriatal system using PET.
PET may help develop ways to diagnose PD early and even to identify asymptomatic people who are at risk of developing the disease, Moore said. Nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons' loss usually begins several years before PD symptoms appear.
A cure for Parkinson's disease is nowhere near. Advances in the field, however, have improved treatment and show promise for the development of neuroprotective therapies, which may help delay the progression of the disease and prevent severe disability from occurring, according to Moore.
"There are several drugs now in FDA phase I and II trials that hold promise for this," he said.
For more from the Diagnostic Imaging archives:
Transcranial ultrasound shows promise for Parkinson's diagnosis
http://www.dimag.com/db_area/onlinenews/2003/2003021901.shtml
Agent improves diagnosis of Parkinson's
http://www.dimag.com/db_area/archives/2003/0302.overread5.di.shtml
Emerging AI Algorithm Shows Promise for Abbreviated Breast MRI in Multicenter Study
April 25th 2025An artificial intelligence algorithm for dynamic contrast-enhanced breast MRI offered a 93.9 percent AUC for breast cancer detection, and a 92.3 percent sensitivity in BI-RADS 3 cases, according to new research presented at the Society for Breast Imaging (SBI) conference.
The Reading Room Podcast: Current Perspectives on the Updated Appropriate Use Criteria for Brain PET
March 18th 2025In a new podcast, Satoshi Minoshima, M.D., Ph.D., and James Williams, Ph.D., share their insights on the recently updated appropriate use criteria for amyloid PET and tau PET in patients with mild cognitive impairment.
Can Abbreviated Breast MRI Have an Impact in Assessing Post-Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Response?
April 24th 2025New research presented at the Society for Breast Imaging (SBI) conference suggests that abbreviated MRI is comparable to full MRI in assessing pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Clarius Mobile Health Unveils Anterior Knee Feature for Handheld Ultrasound
April 23rd 2025The T-Mode Anterior Knee feature reportedly offers a combination of automated segmentation and real-time conversion of grayscale ultrasound images into color-coded visuals that bolster understanding for novice ultrasound users.
