Dopaminergic Dysfunction in Parkinsonism: New Lessons from Imaging

In recent decades, identification of the dopaminergic deficit in Parkinson's disease has spawned an explo sion of research in the molecular neurobiology of the basal ganglia. In vivo imaging has provided a tool to bridge developments in basic neuroscience and clinicial neurology. Imaging studies have opened a unique window on the neurochemical pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease and more specifically on the onset, progression and physiology of the degenerative process. As we are poised on the brink of new protective and restorative therapies for Parkinson's disease, the potential of imaging to teach us about in vivo brain neurochemistry offers both promise and challenge. NEUROSCIENTIST 5:333-340, 1999