PET Imaging Approach May Restore Motor, Cognitive Function in Parkinson’s Disease

An agent being evaluated for use in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has been shown to suppress the death of neurons, and consequently, relieving symptoms from Parkinson’s disease (PD) in animal models.

The findings of the research were published April 2, 2012, in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The movement-related symptoms of PD, including tremors and muscle rigidity, are caused by the loss of dopamine-secreting neurons in the brain. Existing treatments work at increasing and maintaining dopamine levels to remedy these motor impairments. However, these strategies do not address the underlying neuronal death that initiated the disease.

Drs. David Finkelstein, Kevin Barnham, and colleagues from the University of Melbourne (Australia) discovered that the PET imaging agent CuII(atsm) reverses the neurotoxicity that destroys dopamine-secreting neurons.

Improvements in motor skills and memory were seen after treatment in four unique animal models of PD. The authors suggest this compound functions as a scavenger of peroxynitrite, whose accumulation is known to promote neuronal death.

These findings, according to the investigators, lead to a potential approach to restore motor and cognitive function in PD patients by reviving neuronal function instead of only masking symptoms.

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