Striatal dopamine transporter binding in patients with Parkinson's disease and severe occupational hydrocarbon exposure

We used ¹²³I-Ioflupane SPECT to study striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) binding in 36 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with history of severe occupational exposure to hydrocarbons. Data were compared with 38 PD patients without exposure history as well as healthy controls. Both PD cohorts showed significant striatal uptake decrements compared with controls. We found significantly lower values in the whole striatum of exposed compared with non-exposed patients (0.83 ± 0.25 vs. 1.05 ± 0.39; P = 0.004), more pronounced in the putamen (0.61 ± 0.24 vs. 0.85 ± 0.42; P = 0.004). We conclude that severe occupational exposure to hydrocarbons may modify disease course and ultimately accelerate nigro-striatal denervation.