JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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JAMA
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Dopamine transporter brain imaging to assess the effects of pramipexole vs levodopa on Parkinson disease progression.
Pramipexole and levodopa are effective medications to treat motor symptoms of early Parkinson disease (PD). In vitro and animal studies suggest that pramipexole may protect and that levodopa may either protect or damage dopamine neurons. Neuroimaging offers the potential of an objective biomarker of dopamine neuron degeneration in PD patients. ⋯ Patients initially treated with pramipexole demonstrated a reduction in loss of striatal [(123)I]beta-CIT uptake, a marker of dopamine neuron degeneration, compared with those initially treated with levodopa, during a 46-month period. These imaging data highlight the need to further compare imaging and clinical end points of PD progression in long-term studies.