Long-Term Dopamine Transporter Imaging and Clinical Assessment of Parkinson's Disease Progression
Long-Term Dopamine Transporter Imaging and Clinical Assessment of Parkinson's Disease Progression
The purpose of this project is to assess the change in dopamine transporter density in
 Parkinson's disease subjects during a sixty month period including a nine month treatment
 trial of levodopa. Dopamine transporter will be assessed using [123I]ß-CIT SPECT (single
 photon emission computed tomography) imaging, a marker of dopamine terminal integrity and of
 clinical disease state.
All subjects will be imaged at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders.

 Subjects will be evaluated sequentially with [123I]ß-CIT SPECT and standardized clinical
 rating scales during a sixty month period. The subjects involved in this study will have had
 [123I]ß-CIT and SPECT scans at baseline and return for scanning at week 40 following the
 start of their participation in the ELLDOPA study.

 Before each SPECT procedure subjects will be tested to ensure eligibility for the study. They
 will also have a neurological evaluation including tests of motor function, thinking, memory
 and handwriting. Some of these tests will be given with the aid of a computer.

 On the first day participants are injected with [123I]ß-CIT, an investigational radioactive
 material that localizes in the brain. Study participants will also have a thorough neurologic
 examination and standard neuropsychological testing, including testing of memory,
 concentration, abstraction and visual spatial functions.

 Twenty-four hours later study participants return to the Institute for Neurodegenerative
 Disorders where an investigational scanning procedure will be used to obtain SPECT (single
 photon emission computed tomography) images of the brain.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Prior participation in the study titled Dopamine Transporter Imaging Assessment of
 Parkinson's Disease Progression (DAMD17-99-1-9472) [123I] B-CIT and Spect in Vivo
 Imaging Assessment of Dopamine Transporter Density in Subjects With Early Parkinson's
 Disease Participating in Earlier Vs. Later Levodopa in Parkinson's Disease (ELLDOPA)].

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Inability to sign informed consent and participate in all study procedures.

 -  Mini mental status exam < 25.

 -  Pregnancy