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Neurological Wilson's disease studied with magnetic resonance imaging and with positron emission tomography using dopaminergic markers
Author(s) -
Westermark K.,
Tedroff J.,
Thuomas K.Å.,
Hartvig P.,
Långström B.,
Andersson Y.,
Hörnfeldt K.,
Aquilonius S.M.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
movement disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.352
H-Index - 198
eISSN - 1531-8257
pISSN - 0885-3185
DOI - 10.1002/mds.870100511
Subject(s) - positron emission tomography , magnetic resonance imaging , medicine , central nervous system disease , nuclear medicine , nuclear magnetic resonance , degenerative disease , radiology , physics
Four patients with neurological Wilson's disease were investigated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET). All patients had dystonia as their major clinical manifestation but also had dysarthria and at the presentation of the disease had choreoathetoid movements in at least one limb. A multitracer approach with PET was used to visualize various aspects of dopaminergic function; [ 11 C]‐(+)‐nomifensine (NMF), [ 11 C]raclopride (RAC) and [ 11 C]‐ L ‐DOPA (one patient). Correlation analysis of RAC and NMF binding as well as putamen/caudate uptake ratios showed corresponding reductions. The patient investigated with [ 11 C]‐ L ‐DOPA had a normal striatal uptake. Generally, structural changes as shown by MRI corresponded to reductions both in NMF and RAC binding. There was no evident correspondence between PET findings and the severity of clinical symptoms seen in the individual patient. In two patients with discrete neurological impairment at the time of investigation, PET showed serious presynaptic dopaminergic lesions in the putamen. Our data suggest that the striatal degeneration seen in Wilson's disease comprises a complex pathology involving both afferent and efferent projections. The discrete neurological impairment seen in some patients with gross striatal pathology might be due to concomitant lesions in functionally counteracting basal ganglia circuits.