PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Julie Wang
AU  - Shunichi Oya
AU  - Brian Lieberman
AU  - H Kung
TI  - PET imaging of serotonin transporters in the brain of unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats.
DP  - 2009 May 01
TA  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine
PG  - 485--485
VI  - 50
IP  - supplement 2
4099  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/50/supplement_2/485.short
4100  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/50/supplement_2/485.full
SO  - J Nucl Med2009 May 01; 50
AB  - 485 Objectives Our goal is to test the utility of a new serotonin transporter (SERT) radiotracer, 2-(2’-((dimethylamino)methyl)-4’-(3-[18F]fluoropropoxy)phenylthio)benzenamine ([18F]FPBM), that can be easily labeled with 18F for PET imaging. Although Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is mainly associated with the loss of dopaminergic neurons, it has been reported that PD patients may also display a loss of serotonergic neurons. We wish to test whether changes in SERT binding can be detected in the brain of unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats (a PD model) with [18F]FPBM. Methods Three lesioned rats were procured from Taconic (Albany, NY). Success of the nigrostriatal pathway lesion was confirmed by rotational response to apomorphine. [18F]FPBM was prepared and injected (1-1.4 mCi) into the rat via tail vein. PET imaging commenced at the time of injection and continued for 4 h. We also confirmed the unilateral lesion by PET imaging with a VMAT2 specific tracer, AV-133. Results PET images showed lower [18F]FPBM binding to SERT over the 4 h scan period in the left striatum when compared to the right (non-lesioned side) striatum (rat #1 = 11%, rat #2 = 4%, and rat #3 = 43%; n = 2 for each rat). As expected, there was strong VMAT2 binding by [18F]AV-133 (a DTBZ analog) in the right striatum and no visible binding in the left striatum. Conclusions Varying degrees of SERT binding reduction in the left striatum can be detected in the PD rat model with [18F]FPBM while there appeared to be a complete loss of VMAT2 binding as measured by [18F]AV-133. Research Support NIH grant MH-068782 H.F.K.