Progressive dopaminergic defect in a patient with primary progressive multiple sclerosis

Publication date: Available online 7 September 2019Source: Multiple Sclerosis and Related DisordersAuthor(s): Valtteri Kaasinen, Juho Joutsa, Eero Rissanen, Laura Airas, Merja Soilu-Hänninen, Tommi NoponenAbstractDopamine has a modulatory role in a number of autoimmune diseases, but there are no published cases of longitudinal dopaminergic imaging in multiple sclerosis (MS). Here we report a patient with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) who was scanned twice with brain dopamine transporter single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with an interval of four years. The results showed a loss of tracer binding that corresponded to a 4-7 fold steeper decline than in normal aging. The finding points to a relevant role of nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration in the pathological process of PPMS.
Source: Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders - Category: Neurology Source Type: research