Striatal dopamine transporters correlate with simple reaction time in elderly subjects.

Full Abstract

The decline in motor performance that accompanies advanced age has unclear neurobiological substrates but may relate, in part, to degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopamine system. This research tested the hypothesis that striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in healthy elderly individuals was related to measures of motor performance. Thirty-six healthy volunteers (18 male, 18 female) who ranged in age from 68 to 88 (75.4+/-4.9 years) received a neuropsychological evaluation that included two primary motor measures (tested with dominant hand):
(1) simple reaction time (SRT); and (2) finger tapping (FT). Subjects underwent SPECT scanning with [(123)I]2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-iodophenyl)tropane ([(123)I]beta-CIT) for measurement of striatal DAT availability. A ratio of specific to nondisplaceable brain uptake (i.e., radical V3 =[striatal-occipital]/occipital), a measure proportional to the binding potential (B(max)/K(D)), was derived. SRT was significantly correlated with striatal DAT availability with or without controlling for the contribution of age. However, contrary to hypothesis, FT was not correlated with striatal DAT availability. Comparison measures, including episodic memory and general intelligence, were also unrelated to striatal DAT availability. These results demonstrate that a loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic function likely contributes to slowing of reaction speed with advancing age.

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Author information

Author/s: van Dyck, Christopher H (CH); Avery, Robert A (RA); MacAvoy, Martha G (MG); Marek, Kenneth L (KL); Quinlan, Donald M (DM); Baldwin, Ronald M (RM); Seibyl, John P (JP); Innis, Robert B (RB); Arnsten, Amy F T (AF);

Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, United States. christopher.vandyck@yale.edu

Grants: MH58620 (Agency:United States NIMH) ; R43-MH48243 (Agency:United States NIMH)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Neurobiology of aging (Neurobiol Aging), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Aug; vol 29 (issue 8) : pp 1237-46

Dates: Created 2008/06/23; Completed 2008/08/21;

PMID: 17363113, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Corpus Striatum - metabolism
Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins - metabolism
Female

Female
Humans
Male
Reaction Time - physiology
Statistics as Topic

Associated Chemicals: Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins (0)

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