Review of the use of dopamine transporter imaging agent ¹¹C-β-CFT for diagnosing Parkinson disease

Parkinson disease(PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. It is known to be associated with age, hormonal imbalance, lifestyle exposures, and genetic factors, as well as the differences between the structure and function of the dopaminergic neurons of the brain. Conventional imaging methods exhibit certain limitations in the early detection, prognostic evaluation, and preoperative grading of PD among patients. ¹¹C-methyl-N-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-fluorophenyl)-tropanel(¹¹C-β-CFT) possesses a high affinity for dopamine transporters(DAT) and rarely interferes with anti-Parkinsonism drugs; therefore, ¹¹C-β-CFT is a favorable PET imaging agent for DAT. ¹¹C-β-CFT is widely used as an imaging agent for the diagnosis of human neurological diseases, including schizophrenia and PD. PET imaging with ¹¹C-β-CFT can assist in evaluating physiological and pathophysiological processes, thereby facilitating the diagnosis and monitoring of therapeutic effects. This review summarizes the current applications of ¹¹C-β-CFT PET in PD diagnosis.