Presynaptic dopaminergic terminal imaging and non-motor symptoms assessment of Parkinson's disease: evidence for dopaminergic basis?

NPJ Parkinsons Dis. 2017 Jan 25:3:5. doi: 10.1038/s41531-016-0006-9. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is now considered to be a multisystemic disorder consequent on multineuropeptide dysfunction including dopaminergic, serotonergic, cholinergic, and noradrenergic systems. This multipeptide dysfunction leads to expression of a range of non-motor symptoms now known to be integral to the concept of PD and preceding the diagnosis of motor PD. Some non-motor symptoms in PD may have a dopaminergic basis and in this review, we investigate the evidence for this based on imaging techniques using dopamine-based radioligands. To discuss non-motor symptoms we follow the classification as outlined by the validated PD non-motor symptoms scale.