Decreased pallidal vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 availability in Parkinson's disease: The contribution of the nigropallidal pathway

Sang Soo Cho; Leigh Christopher; Yuko Koshimori; Crystal Li; Anthony E. Lang; Sylvain Houle; Antonio P. Strafella

Neurobiology of Disease (Apr 2019)

Decreased pallidal vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 availability in Parkinson's disease: The contribution of the nigropallidal pathway

Sang Soo Cho,
Leigh Christopher,
Yuko Koshimori,
Crystal Li,
Anthony E. Lang,
Sylvain Houle,
Antonio P. Strafella

Affiliations

Sang Soo Cho: The Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorder Unit, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Research Imaging Centre, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Leigh Christopher: Research Imaging Centre, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, FIND Lab, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
Yuko Koshimori: Research Imaging Centre, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Music and Health Research Collaboratory (MaRC), Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Crystal Li: Research Imaging Centre, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Anthony E. Lang: The Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorder Unit, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sylvain Houle: Research Imaging Centre, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Antonio P. Strafella: The Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorder Unit, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Research Imaging Centre, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Corresponding author at: Toronto Western Hospital/Krembil Research Institute, CAMH-Research Imaging Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 124
pp. 176 – 182

Abstract

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To date, the contribution of the nigropallidal pathway degeneration to Parkinson's disease (PD) motor symptoms has received little attention and is generally poorly understood in spite of solid evidence that the globus pallidus (GP) receives a dense neuronal projection from the substantia nigra. To explore the dopaminergic (DA) changes of the GP in PD, we measured the availability of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) using [11C]DTBZ and positron emission tomography in 30 PD patients and 12 controls. PD patients were classified in two groups based on severity of disease. VMAT2 reduction was found to be significant in the external GP (GPe) regardless of the disease stage, while the internal GP (GPi) showed reduction only in more severe patients. Pallidal VMAT2 binding correlated with dopaminergic changes in the striatum, with the GPe showing a stronger association than GPi. Our findings showed DA terminals in the GPe and GPi may be differentially vulnerable in different stages of the disease, possibly playing a distinctive role in the development of motor complications with GPi DA deficiency contributing more to later-stage symptoms.

Published in Neurobiology of Disease

ISSN: 0969-9961 (Print); 1095-953X (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/neurobiology-of-disease

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