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Imaging Interactions between Alzheimer's disease and cerebrovascular disease SALSA Computer Based Therapy Imaging Brain Dopamine in Aging Imaging Gene Therapy Imaging Brain Amyloid in Vivo Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
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We are currently utilizing positron emission tomography (PET) to evaluate dopamine function in both normal aging and Parkinson’s disease. For a number of years we have performed PET studies to measure dopamine function in response to a novel gene therapy approach for Parkinson’s disease. These studies use the dopamine tracer [18F]fluorometatyrosine (FMT) to investigate changes in the basal ganglia. FMT-PET studies in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease have shown sustained gene expression and clinical benefit for more than 4 years. We are currently in the process of acquiring a data base of normal subjects using FMT in order to being clinical studies. A clinical trial in Parkinson’s disease patients is planned based on these studies and is expected to begin later this year. In this study, we will evaluate FMT-PET before and after gene therapy in order to monitor gene expression.
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