Dopaminergic dysfunction and psychiatric symptoms in movement disorders: a 123I-FP-CIT SPECT study.

Purpose Psychiatric symptoms frequently occur in patients with movement disorders. They are not a mere reaction to chronic disability, but most likely due to a combination of psychosocial factors and biochemical dysfunction underlying the movement disorder. We assessed dopamine transporter (DAT) availability by means of 123I-FP-CIT SPECT, and motor and psychiatric features in patients with Parkinson’s disease, primary dystonia and essential tremor, exploring the association between SPECT findings and symptom severity.