npj Parkinson's Disease (Jan 2017)

Presynaptic dopaminergic terminal imaging and non-motor symptoms assessment of Parkinson’s disease: evidence for dopaminergic basis?

  • MA Qamar,
  • A Sauerbier,
  • M Politis,
  • H Carr,
  • P Loehrer,
  • K Ray Chaudhuri

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-016-0006-9
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 3, no. 1
pp. 1 – 20

Abstract

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Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD) is now considered to be a multisystemic disorder consequent on multineuropeptide dysfunction including dopaminergic, serotonergic, cholinergic, and noradrenergic systems. This multipeptide dysfunction leads to expression of a range of non-motor symptoms now known to be integral to the concept of PD and preceding the diagnosis of motor PD. Some non-motor symptoms in PD may have a dopaminergic basis and in this review, we investigate the evidence for this based on imaging techniques using dopamine-based radioligands. To discuss non-motor symptoms we follow the classification as outlined by the validated PD non-motor symptoms scale.