[18F]F-DOPA Imaging in Patients With Autonomic Failure

Parkinson Disease Clinical Trial

Official title: [18F]F-DOPA Imaging in Patients With Autonomic Failure

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

Alpha-synucleinopathies refer to age-related neurodegenerative and dementing disorders, characterized by the accumulation of alpha-synuclein in neurons and/or glia. The anatomical location of alpha-synuclein inclusions (Lewy Bodies) and the pattern of progressive neuronal death (e.g. caudal to rostral brainstem) give rise to distinct neurological phenotypes, including Parkinson's disease (PD), Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). Common to these disorders are the involvement of the central and peripheral autonomic nervous system, where Pure Autonomic Failure (PAF) is thought (a) to be restricted to the peripheral autonomic system, and (b) a clinical risk factor for the development of a central synucleinopathy, and (c) an ideal model to assess biomarkers that predict phenoconversion to PD, MSA, or DLB. Such biomarkers would aid in clinical trial inclusion criteria to ensure assessments of disease- modifying strategies to, delay, or halt, the neurodegenerative process. One of these biomarkers may be related to the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) and related changes in the substantia nigra (SN) and brainstem. [18F]F-DOPA is a radiolabeled substrate for aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AAADC), an enzyme involved in the production of dopamine. Use of this radiolabeled substrate in positron emission tomography (PET) may provide insight to changes in monoamine production and how they relate to specific phenoconversions in PAF patients. Overall, this study aims to identify changes in dopamine production in key regions including the SN, locus coeruleus, and brainstem to distinguish between patients with PD, MSA, and DLB, which may provide vital information to predict conversion from peripheral to central nervous system disease.

Clinical Trial Description

n/a

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Autonomic Failure
• Dementia With Lewy Bodies
• Lewy Body Disease
• Multiple System Atrophy
• Parkinson Disease
• Pure Autonomic Failure
• Shy-Drager Syndrome

• NCT number: NCT04246437
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Contact: Daniel O Claassen, MD, MS
• Phone: 615-936-1007
• Email: daniel.claassen@vumc.org
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 1
• Start date: February 4, 2020
• Completion date: February 1, 2025