Orthostatic hypotension, non-dipping and striatal dopamine in Parkinson disease

Neurol Sci. 2013 Apr;34(4):557-60. doi: 10.1007/s10072-012-1176-9. Epub 2012 Aug 15.

Abstract

Orthostatic hypotension and non-dipping are relatively common autonomic dysfunctions in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). These abnormalities have been thought to occur independently of striatal dopaminergic depletion; however, only little preliminary information is available. In this study, we investigated the association of neurocirculatory changes with striatal dopamine transporter status in 69 patients with early PD. Seventeen patients had orthostatic hypotension and 55 patients were non-dippers. A comparison between cases with and without orthostatic hypotension was insignificant for striatal dopamine transporter uptake. These insignificances continued in a comparison of dippers and non-dippers. These results suggest that sympathetic noradrenergic dysfunctions in PD are independent of striatal dopamine transporter depletion.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Blood Pressure / physiology
  • Chi-Square Distribution
  • Corpus Striatum / diagnostic imaging
  • Corpus Striatum / metabolism*
  • Dopamine / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Head Movements / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Hypotension, Orthostatic / diagnosis
  • Hypotension, Orthostatic / diagnostic imaging
  • Hypotension, Orthostatic / etiology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Parkinson Disease / complications*
  • Parkinson Disease / diagnostic imaging
  • Parkinson Disease / pathology*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • Tilt-Table Test
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Tropanes

Substances

  • Tropanes
  • 2-carbomethoxy-8-(3-fluoropropyl)-3-(4-iodophenyl)tropane
  • Dopamine