@article {Kim208, author = {Jae Seung Kim and Masanori Ichise and Janet Sangare and Robert B. Innis}, title = {PET Imaging of Serotonin Transporters with [11C]DASB: Test{\textendash}Retest Reproducibility Using a Multilinear Reference Tissue Parametric Imaging Method}, volume = {47}, number = {2}, pages = {208--214}, year = {2006}, publisher = {Society of Nuclear Medicine}, abstract = {Parametric imaging of serotonin transporters (SERT) with 11C-labeled 3-amino-4-(2-dimethylaminomethyl-phenylsulfanyl)benzonitrile ([11C]DASB) PET is a useful data analysis tool. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of measurements of SERT binding potential (BP) and relative blood flow (R1) by a 2-parameter multilinear reference tissue parametric imaging method (MRTM2) for human [11C]DASB studies. Methods: Eight healthy subjects (3 men, 5 women; age, 26 {\textpm} 9 y) underwent 2 [11C]DASB PET scans separated by 1 h on the same day (dose, 703 {\textpm} 111 MBq). Parametric images of BP and R1 were generated by MRTM2 using the cerebellum as a reference region. The k'2 (clearance rate constant from the reference region) required by MRTM2 was estimated by the 3-parameter MRTM. Reproducibility of BP and R1 measurements was evaluated by calculating bias (100 {\texttimes} (retest {\textendash} test/test), variability (SD of the bias), and reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = ρ) for several representative regions of interest (ROIs). BP and R1 were estimated for ROI time{\textendash}activity curves fitted by MRTM2 and were compared with those based on the parametric images. Results: The test{\textendash}retest (0.066 {\textpm} 0.013/0.06 {\textpm} 0.011 min-1) MRTM k'2 reproducibility was excellent with small bias (3\%) and variability (6\%) and high reliability (0.95). Retest BP values were consistently lower than those of test BP values in all regions (a mean negative bias of \~{}6\%; P \< 0.001). The test{\textendash}retest BP variability was relatively small, ranging from 4\% to 13\%, with ρ ranging from 0.44 to 0.85. In contrast to BP, test{\textendash}retest R1 values were similar with negligible bias of <=0.1\%. The test{\textendash}retest R1 variability was excellent and smaller than that of BP ranging from 3\% to 6\%, with ρ ranging from 0.58 to 0.95. BP and R1 values estimated by the ROI time{\textendash}activity curve-fitting method were slightly lower (\~{}3\% and \~{}1\%, respectively) than those by the parametric imaging method (P \< 0.001). However, the test{\textendash}retest bias and variability of BP and R1 were very similar for both ROI and parametric methods. Conclusion: Our results suggest that [11C]DASB parametric imaging of BP and R1 with the noninvasive MRTM2 method is reproducible and reliable for PET studies of SERT.}, issn = {0161-5505}, URL = {https://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/47/2/208}, eprint = {https://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/47/2/208.full.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Nuclear Medicine} }