[C-11]-PIB imaging in patients with Parkinson's disease: Preliminary results

[C-11]-PIB positron emission tomography ([C-11]-PIB PET) is a sensitive marker of amyloid in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its specificity has not been fully evaluated. Vascular amyloid-beta deposition is common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and alpha-synuclein, the major component of the Lewy bodies in PD, forms amyloid fibrils. We investigated five apparently cognitively normal PD patients with [C-11]PIB PET. The results were compared to 16 patients with AD and six healthy controls from a previous study. [C-11]-PIB retention was not significantly increased in our patients who all had early stage PD. Further Studies of more advanced PD patients are warranted. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.