The potential of (-)-o-[11C]methylvesamicol for diagnosing cholinergic deficit dementia.

(-)-o-Methylvesamicol ((-)-OMV) exhibited in vitro a high affinity for a vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) (Ki, 6.7 nM), and (-)-o-[(11)C]methylvesamicol [(-)-[(11)C]OMV] exhibited appropriate kinetics and bound mainly to VAChTs in the rat brain. In this study, the in vivo distribution and kinetics of (-)-[(11)C]OMV were evaluated in comparison with [(11)C]SA4503 in disability model monkeys produced by selectively destroying the p75NTR-positive cells in the right hemisphere of the brain using positron emission tomography. Time-activity curves of (-)-[(11)C]OMV showed peaks within 20 min in regions rich in acetylcholine transporters (AchT). (-)-[(11)C]OMV binding in the ipsilateral cortex to the lesion was significantly reduced by 22.0% +/- 6.7% when compared with that in the contralateral region. The decrease (19.3% +/- 2.2%) in (-)-[(11)C]OMV binding in the ipsilateral temporal cortex to the lesion was greater than that (7.4% +/- 4.6%) of [(11)C]SA4503. These results suggested that (-)-[(11)C]OMV may be useful in the study of dementia characterized by degeneration of the cholinergic neurotransmitter system. 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.