Risky driving and pedunculopontine nucleus-thalamic cholinergic denervation in Parkinson disease.

ABSTRACT:

Background

It is unknown whether driving difficulty in Parkinson disease (PD) is attributable to nigrostriatal dopaminergic or extranigral non-dopaminergic neurodegeneration.

Objective

To investigate in vivo imaging differences in dopaminergic and cholinergic innervation between PD patients with and without a history of risky driving.

Methods

Thirty non-demented PD subjects (10 women/20 men) completed a driving survey. These subjects had previously undergone (+)-[(11)C] dihydrotetrabenazine vesicular monoamine transporter 2 and [(11)C] methyl-4-piperidinyl propionate acetylcholinesterase PET imaging. Acetylcholinesterase PET imaging assesses cholinergic terminal integrity with cortical uptake largely reflecting basal forebrain and thalamic uptake principally reflectin

SUBMITTER: Weathers SP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3946835 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature