Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Synaptic Dysfunction in Parkinson’s Disease
Jiaqi Niu1,2,3 · Yan Zhong1,2,3 · Chentao Jin1,2,3 · Peili Cen1,2,3 · Jing Wang1,2,3 · Chunyi Cui1,2,3 · Le Xue1,2,3 · Xingyue Cui1,2,3 · Mei Tian1,2,3,6 · Hong Zhang1,2,3,4,51 Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, The Second Afliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China
2 Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
3 Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, China
4 College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310014, China
5 Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310014, China
6 Huashan Hospital and Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases with a complex pathogenesis. Aggregations formed by abnormal deposition of alpha-synuclein (αSyn) lead to synapse dysfunction of the dopamine and non-dopamine systems. The loss of dopaminergic neurons and concomitant alterations in non-dopaminergic function in PD constitute its primary pathological manifestation. Positron emission tomography (PET), as a representative molecular imaging technique, enables the non-invasive visualization, characterization, and quantification of biological processes at cellular and molecular levels. Imaging synaptic function with PET would provide insights into the mechanisms underlying PD and facilitate the optimization of clinical management. In this review, we focus on the synaptic dysfunction associated with the αSyn pathology of PD, summarize various related targets and radiopharmaceuticals, and discuss applications and perspectives of PET imaging of synaptic dysfunction in PD.
Keywords
Parkinson’s disease; Positron emission tomography; Synapse dysfunction; Alpha-synuclein; Dopamine system; Non-dopamine system
