Increased presynaptic dopamine function in Asperger syndrome.

Autor: Nieminen-von Wendt TS; Department of Child Neurology, Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Central Hospital, PL 280, FIN-00029 HYKS, Helsinki, Finland. taina.nieminen@sgic.fi, Metsähonkala L, Kulomäki TA, Aalto S, Autti TH, Vanhala R, Eskola O, Bergman J, Hietala JA, von Wendt LO
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Neuroreport [Neuroreport] 2004 Apr 09; Vol. 15 (5), pp. 757-60.
DOI: 10.1097/00001756-200404090-00003
Abstrakt: The etiology of Asperger syndrome is essentially unknown, but abnormality of the dopamine system has been shown in clinically overlapping disorders. The present study was designed to investigate the presynaptic dopamine function in Asperger syndrome. Eight healthy, drug-free males with Asperger syndrome and five healthy male controls were examined with positron emission tomography using 6-[18F]fluoro-L-DOPA ([18F]FDOPA) as a tracer. In the Asperger syndrome group, the [18F]FDOPA influx (Ki) values were increased in the striatum, i.e. in the putamen and caudate nucleus and in the frontal cortex. The results indicate that the dopamine system is affected in subjects with Asperger syndrome. Partially similar results have also been obtained in schizophrenia, suggesting an overlap not only of the clinical features but also of pathogenesis.
Databáze: MEDLINE