Decreased striatal dopaminergic innervation in REM sleep behavior disorder.

REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a possible herald of neurodegenerative disorders with parkinsonism. The authors determined the density of striatal dopaminergic terminals with [11C]dihydrotetrabenazine PET in six elderly subjects with chronic idiopathic RBD and 19 age-appropriate controls. In subjects with RBD, there were significant reductions in striatal [11C]dihydrotetrabenazine binding, particularly in the posterior putamen.