Calne D B, Langston J W, Martin W R, Stoessl A J, Ruth T J, Adam M J, Pate B D, Schulzer M
Nature. 1985;317(6034):246-8. doi: 10.1038/317246a0.
The dopa analogue 6-fluorodopa (6-FD) used with positron emission tomography (PET) allows in vivo visualization of dopamine and its metabolites in nigrostriatal nerve endings. We have now found abnormal 6-FD scans in four subjects exposed to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). None had parkinsonism. The results suggest subclinical damage to the nigrostriatal pathway. This is the first direct evidence that dopaminergic impairment can exist without clinical deficits. Here we discuss this finding in the context of the hypothesis that Parkinson's disease may stem from clinically silent damage to the substantia nigra, followed by slow attrition of neurones in this region because of its particular vulnerability to cell loss as a normal consequence of ageing.
将多巴类似物6-氟多巴（6-FD）与正电子发射断层扫描（PET）结合使用，可在体内可视化黑质纹状体神经末梢中的多巴胺及其代谢产物。我们现已在4名接触过1-甲基-4-苯基-1,2,3,6-四氢吡啶（MPTP）的受试者中发现了异常的6-FD扫描结果。他们均无帕金森病症状。这些结果提示黑质纹状体通路存在亚临床损伤。这是多巴胺能损害可在无临床缺陷情况下存在的首个直接证据。在此，我们结合以下假说讨论这一发现：帕金森病可能源于黑质的临床无症状性损伤，随后由于该区域因衰老导致细胞丢失的正常过程而特别易损，致使该区域神经元缓慢耗损。
