BACKGROUND: The frequent occurrence of movement disorders such as myoclonus, parkinsonism and dystonia, strongly suggests an involvement of the dopaminergic system in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), but this issue has not been specifically addressed yet. METHODS: We report a patient who after a sub-acute focal clinical onset, developed the full clinical picture of probable sCJD. Given the early unilateral right extrapyramidal rigidity, the patient was assessed by single-photon emission computed tomography of the dopamine transporter (DAT) using [123I] FP-CIT. RESULTS: DAT-scan demonstrated reduced values of presynaptic receptorial trace in the putamen, particularly on the left side, consistent with functional putaminal dopaminergic presynaptic alteration. CONCLUSIONS: The present observation emphasizes the possible role of DAT imaging studies in the investigation of the pathogenesis of movement disorders in CJD.
BACKGROUND: The frequent occurrence of movement disorders such as myoclonus, parkinsonism and dystonia, strongly suggests an involvement of the dopaminergic system in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), but this issue has not been specifically addressed yet. METHODS: We report a patient who after a sub-acute focal clinical onset, developed the full clinical picture of probable sCJD. Given the early unilateral right extrapyramidal rigidity, the patient was assessed by single-photon emission computed tomography of the dopamine transporter (DAT) using [123I] FP-CIT. RESULTS:DAT-scan demonstrated reduced values of presynaptic receptorial trace in the putamen, particularly on the left side, consistent with functional putaminal dopaminergic presynaptic alteration. CONCLUSIONS: The present observation emphasizes the possible role of DAT imaging studies in the investigation of the pathogenesis of movement disorders in CJD.
Authors: Danielle Beckman; Luis E Santos; Tatiana A Americo; Jose H Ledo; Fernando G de Mello; Rafael Linden Journal: J Biol Chem Date: 2015-07-07 Impact factor: 5.157