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In Vivo Imaging of Vesicular Monoamine Transporters in Human Brain Using [ 11 C]Tetrabenazine and Positron Emission Tomography
Author(s) -
Kilbourn Michael R.,
DaSilva Jean N.,
Frey Kirk A.,
Koeppe Robert A.,
Kuhl David E.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1993.tb03521.x
Subject(s) - tetrabenazine , positron emission tomography , vesicular monoamine transporter , vesicular monoamine transporter 2 , monoamine neurotransmitter , in vivo , neuroscience , chemistry , nuclear medicine , medicine , biology , biochemistry , dopamine , serotonin , receptor , microbiology and biotechnology
The pharmacokinetics of [ 11 CJtetrabenazine, a high‐affinity radioligand for the monoamine vesicular transporter, were determined in living human brain using in vivo imaging by positron emission tomography (PET). The radiotracer showed high brain uptake and rapid washout from all brain regions with relatively slower clearance from regions of highest concentrations of monoamine vesicular transporters (striatum), resulting in clear differential visualization of these structures at short intervals after injection (10–20 min). As the first human PET imaging study of a vesicular neurotransmitter transporter, these experiments demonstrate that external imaging of vesicular transporters forms a new and valuable approach to the in vivo quantification of monoaminergic neurons, with potential application to the in vivo study of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease.