Evaluation of dopamine transporter density in healthy Brazilians using Tc-99m TRODAT-1 SPECT

The presynaptic dopamine transporter (DAT) modulates the uptake of dopamine by regulating its concentration in the central nervous system. We aimed to evaluate the DAT binding potential (DAT-BP) in a sample of healthy Brazilians through technetium-99 metastable TRODAT-1 single-photon emission computed tomography imaging. We selected 126 healthy individuals comprising 72 men and 54 women, aged 18 to 80 years. We conducted semi-quantitative evaluation in transaxial slices, following which we identified the regions of interest in the striatal region using the occipital lobe as a region of non-specific DAT-BP. We found a decrease in DAT-BP in healthy individuals aged over 30 years, culminating in a 42% mean reduction after 80 years. There was no difference in the decrease by age group between the right (linear regression test [R(2)] linear = 0.466) and left striatum (R(2) linear = 0.510). Women presented a higher DAT-BP than men (women: R(2) linear = 0.431; men: R(2) linear = 0.457); nonetheless, their decrease by age group was equal to that in men. Our study sheds light on important DAT-BP findings in healthy Brazilian subjects. Our results will facilitate understanding of brain illnesses that involve the dopamine system, such as neuropsychiatric disorders.