Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42555541›Full record

ArticleStereotactic and functional neurosurgery2026

Dopamine Transporter Imaging Predicts Mortality in a Long-Term Follow-Up after Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease.

Birgitte Liang Chen Thomsen, Steen Rusborg Jensen, Anders Lundetoft Clausen, Sine Fjeldhøj, Bo Jespersen, Merete Karlsborg, Markus Nowak Lonsdale, Annemette Løkkegaard

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Article in Stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Birgitte Liang Chen ThomsenDepartment of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Steen Rusborg JensenDepartment of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Anders Lundetoft ClausenDepartment of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Sine FjeldhøjDepartment of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Bo JespersenDepartment of Neurosurgery, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Merete KarlsborgDepartment of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Markus Nowak LonsdaleDepartment of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Annemette LøkkegaardDepartment of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark, annemette.loekkegaard@regionh.dk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionDeep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) is an efficient treatment for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD), when oral medication no longer provides satisfactory symptom control or causes disabling side effects. However, long-term outcomes vary considerably, and reliable preoperative biomarkers remain lacking. Dopamine transporter single-photon emission computed tomography (DAT SPECT) provides an indirect in vivo measure of presynaptic striatal dopaminergic degeneration in the basal ganglia. In patients evaluated for STN-DBS, DAT SPECT with [123I]FP-CIT supported the clinical diagnosis. This study aimed to examine whether preoperative DAT SPECT predicts the long-term outcome after STN-DBS surgery.

methodsFifty-five patients with PD underwent DAT SPECT before STN-DBS surgery. Motor symptoms were assessed in ON and OFF medication states before surgery, and at long-term follow-up, 8-14 years after surgery. Cognition was assessed before surgery and at the long-term follow-up, and clinical data were curated retrospectively from medical records.

resultsLower DAT striatal specific binding ratio (SBR) significantly correlated with longer disease duration, indicating greater dopaminergic loss. Reduced striatal SBR predicted increased mortality during the long-term follow-up. Regional analyses revealed that this association was driven by the caudate nucleus. Furthermore, greater caudate compared to putaminal involvement, reflected by a higher putaminal/caudate uptake ratio, was related to longer disease duration and increased mortality. Preoperative DAT SPECT measures were not associated with DBS effect, cognitive function, or depression.

conclusionDopamine transporter imaging provides valuable insight into the pathophysiology and disease progression of PD. Although DAT SPECT did not predict the therapeutic effect of STN-DBS, this study demonstrates that DAT SPECT captures aspects of disease progression and survival in PD. These results highlight the value of assessing the dopaminergic system before advanced treatment, as DAT SPECT may provide prognostic indicators that could complement the preoperative evaluation.

Indexed as

Deep brain stimulationDopamine transporter imagingLong-term follow-upParkinson’s disease

Identifiers

PMID42555541
PMCPMC13685724

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.