Degree of dopaminergic degeneration measured by Tc-TRODAT-1 SPECT/CT imaging.

To prevent and treat Parkinson's disease in its early stages, it is essential to be able to detect the degree of early dopaminergic neuron degeneration. Dopamine transporters (DAT) in the striatum regulate synaptic dopamine levels, and striatal Tc-TRODAT-1 single-photon emission computed tomography (-SPECT) imaging is a marker for presynaptic neuronal degeneration. However, the association between the degree of dopaminergic degeneration and in vivo Tc-TRODAT-1 SPECT imaging is unknown. Therefore, this study investigated the association between the degree of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced dopaminergic degeneration and DAT imaging using Tc-TRODAT-1 SPECT in rats. Different degrees of nigrostriatal dopamine depletion were generated by injecting different doses of 6-OHDA (2, 4, and 8 μg) into the right medial forebrain bundle. The degree of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neuron degeneration was assessed by rotational behavior and immunohistochemical staining. The results showed that striatal Tc-TRODAT-1 binding was significantly diminished both in the ipsilateral and the contralateral sides in the 4 and 8 μg 6-OHDA groups, and that DAT Tc-TRODAT-1 binding in the ipsilateral striatum showed a high correlation to apomorphine-induced rotations at 8 weeks post-lesion (r = -0.887, P < 0.01). There were significant correlations between DAT Tc-TRODAT-1 binding in the ipsilateral striatum and the amount of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive neurons in the ipsilateral substantia nigra in the 2, 4, and 8 μg 6-OHDA groups at 8 weeks post-lesion (r = 0.899, P < 0.01). These findings indicate that striatal DAT imaging using Tc-TRODAT-1 is a useful technique for evaluating the severity of dopaminergic degeneration.