[18F]-dopa PET study in patients with juvenile-onset PD and parkin gene mutations

Parkin gene mutations cause a form of early-onset autosomal recessive PD with neuronal loss in the substantia nigra and no Lewy bodies. The authors present a PET [F-18]-dopa study of one familial and two sporadic cases with juvenile-onset PD resulting from parkin gene mutations. They found a profound decrease of [F-18]-dopa uptake, representing 28% of putamen and 44% of caudate nucleus control subject values. PD caused by parkin gene mutations is distinct from idiopathic PD on molecular grounds but has similar clinical and PET findings.