Complementary Utility of Dopamine Transporter and Tau PET Imaging in the Diagnosis of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy A Case Report

A 50-year-old woman developed gait disturbances, tendency to fall backwards, bradykinesia, and memory loss over the previous 6 months. Brain F-18-FDG PET/CT was unable to distinguish among APSs (atypical parkinsonian syndromes); PET investigations of dopamine transporter (DAT) function (C-11-CFT) and tau pathology (F-18-APN-1607) were performed. C-11-CFT PET revealed severe loss of striatal DAT function, whereas significant tau accumulation was observed in the brainstem, basal ganglia, and globus pallidus on F-18-APN-1607 PET. Such finding suggested diagnosis of PSP (progressive supranuclear palsy). This case highlights the value of DAT and tau PET imaging in diagnosis of PSP and differential diagnosis ofAPSs.