New Methods for Measuring Cortical Dopaminergic Regulation: Towards

Principal Investigator: JUHA RINNE1
Researchers: Sargo Aalto1, Valtteri Kaasinen2, Nora Hagelberg3, Jouni Ihalainen4, Jussi Hirvonen1                            

1Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, 2Department of Neurology, Turku University Hospital, 3Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Turku University Hospital, 4Department of Neuroscience and Neurology, University of Kuopio, Dept. of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Dept. of Neurobiology, University of Kuopio, Dept. of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Turku

Dopamine has a central role in regulating cognitive and affective functions as well as in the development of addiction and several mental disorders. The role of dopaminergic networks, especially in cortical functions in humans, is almost totally unknown because of the lack of methods that could be used to measure in vivo the dynamics of the cortical dopaminergic system in humans. Our recent imaging experiments have shown that, by using positron emission tomography (PET) and the recently developed high-affinity dopamine D2 receptor ligand [11C]FLB 457, it is possible to examine drug-induced or cognitive task-induced dopamine release in the cortical regions of humans in vivo. However, the sensitivity and time resolution of the present methods severely limit the usability of this methodology. 

This is a project for developing new methods for the PET measurement of changes in dopamine concentration, especially in the cortical regions in humans. The main aim is to enhance time resolution and sensitivity of measurement of changes in dopamine release. The new methodology will be developed using a modern voxel-based approach involving image analysis in a common stereotactic brain space, which enables the creation of databases of dopaminergic functions. Such databases would provide invaluable information for neuroinformatics of synaptic transmission in the future. The methods to be developed and validated in this project can be used to chart the functional dynamics of dopaminergic neurotransmission in the living human brain.

Contact: juha.rinne(at)tyks.fi, tel. +358 2 313 1866