Objective: To evaluate the extent of degeneration in dopamine nerve terminal in striatum in the patients with MSA-P and MSA-C, and to compare the progression speed of the degeneration to the patients with Parkinson’s disease, Dat-SPECT imaging was carried out.
 

Background: MSA, involving neurons both in substantia nigra and striatum, is resulted in reduction of dopamine nerve terminals in striatum. DaT-SPECT employing 123I-Ioflupane, accumulating in dopamine nerve terminal, has enabled to visualize and evaluate the severity of degeneration of nigro-striatal dopamine system. Previously we reported the profound reduction of the DAT-SPECT signal in the patients with MSA especially with MSA-P. 

Methods: 21 patients with MSA; 5 with MSA-P and 16 with MSA-C, 47 patients with Parkinson’s disease are analyzed in this study. Accumulation of 123I-Ioflupane in striatum was visualized, calculated and evaluated with a software QSPECT with specific binding ratio (SBR) in each subject. Progression index ( (SBR in QSPECT-4.5) /disease duration)  in each group was calculated and compared by t-test.

Results: To evaluate the patients with Parkinson’s disease, regression line between disease duration and SBR in occipital background reference is obtained. Two regression line of Parkinson’s disease and MSA-C gave a similar intercept point on y-axis (ie. starting point of diseases) around 4.5. Using this results, we estimated progression speed by the formula: PI=(SBR QSPECT-4.5)*100/disease duration(y). Statistically positive difference in progression index (PI) between MSA-P and MSA-C, also between MSA-P and Parkinson’s disease was obtained. There was no difference between MSA-C and Parkinson’s disease.

Conclusions: These results suggests faster progression of the disease process of basal ganglia in MSA-P than in MSA-C and Parkinson’s disease. 

« Back to 2017 International Congress

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/profound-reduction-of-dat-spect-signal-in-multiple-system-atrophy-msa/