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Voxel-based analysis of whole-brain effects of age and gender on dopamine transporter SPECT imaging in healthy subjects

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Abstract

Purpose

Several studies have shown age- and gender-related differences in striatal dopamine transporter (DaT) binding. These studies were based on a striatal region on interest approach that may have underestimated these effects and could not evaluate extrastriatal regions. Our aim was to determine the effects at the voxel level of age and gender on whole-brain DaT distribution using [123I]FP-CIT SPECT in healthy subjects.

Methods

We performed a whole-brain [123I]FP-CIT SPECT voxel-based analysis using SPM8 and a standardized normalization template (p < 0.05, corrected using the false discovery rate method) in 51 healthy subjects aged from 21 to 79 years.

Results

We found an age-related DaT binding decrease in the striatum, anterior cingulate/medial frontal cortices and insulo-opercular cortices. Also DaT binding ratios were higher in women than men in the striatum and opercular cortices.

Conclusion

This study showed both striatal and extrastriatal age-related and gender-related differences in DaT binding in healthy subjects using a whole-brain voxel-based non-a priori approach. These differences highlight the need for careful age and gender matching in DaT analyses of neuropsychiatric disorders.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Inserm (Centre d’Investigation Clinique, CIC, Hôpital de la Conception, Marseille) and AP-HM (PHRC 2007/09). We thank Amersham-GE Healthcare for providing [123I]FP-CIT.

Funding

This work was funded by APHM (PHRC 2007/09) and by Amersham-GE Healthcare in providing [123I] FP-CIT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. APHM, Hôpital de la Timone, Service de Neurologie et Pathologie du Mouvement, Marseille, France

    Alexandre Eusebio & Jean-Philippe Azulay

  2. Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, CNRS, Aix-Marseille Univ, UMR 7289, Marseille, France

    Alexandre Eusebio, Jean-Philippe Azulay & Eric Guedj

  3. APHM, Hôpital de la Timone, Service de Neurologie et de Neuropsychologie, Marseille, France

    Mathieu Ceccaldi

  4. Aix-Marseille Univ, UMR Inserm 1106, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, 13005, Marseille, France

    Mathieu Ceccaldi

  5. APHM, Hôpital de la Timone, Service de Neuroradiologie diagnostique et interventionnelle, Marseille, France

    Nadine Girard

  6. APHM, Hôpital de la Timone, Service Central de Biophysique et Médecine Nucléaire, Marseille, France

    Olivier Mundler & Eric Guedj

  7. Aix-Marseille Univ, CERIMED, Marseille, France

    Olivier Mundler & Eric Guedj

Authors
  1. Alexandre Eusebio
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  2. Jean-Philippe Azulay
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  3. Mathieu Ceccaldi
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  4. Nadine Girard
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  5. Olivier Mundler
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  6. Eric Guedj
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric Guedj.

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Eusebio, A., Azulay, JP., Ceccaldi, M. et al. Voxel-based analysis of whole-brain effects of age and gender on dopamine transporter SPECT imaging in healthy subjects. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 39, 1778–1783 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-012-2207-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-012-2207-8

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