Striatal dopamine transporter availability with [123I]β-CIT SPECT is unrelated to gender or menstrual cycle

Objectives: The effect of gender and female menstrual cycle on human striatal dopamine transporters (DATs) was investigated with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using the ligand 2 beta-carbo-methoxy-3 beta-(4-[I-123]iodophenyl)tropane. Methods: Ten female subjects aged 18-40 years (25.3 +/- 7.3 years) were scanned twice during the early follicular and the mid-luteal phases to detect any hormone-mediated changes in DAT availability in the striatum or serotonin transporter (SERT) availability in brainstem-diencephalon. Plasma estradiol and progesterone levels were obtained at the time of SPECT and confirmed the expected increases from the follicular to the luteal phases. Finally, in a post hoc analysis of a previously published healthy-subject sample, striatal DAT availability was compared between 70 male and 52 female subjects who ranged in age from 18 to 88 years. Results: In the ten menstrual cycle subjects, DAT availability (V-3) in striatum and SERT availability in brainstem-diencephalon did not differ between follicular and luteal phases. Moreover, change in V-3 for striatum or brainstem-diencephalon was uncorrelated with change in plasma estradiol or progesterone from the follicular to the luteal phase. In the larger healthy-subject sample, there was no significant effect of gender or the interaction of age and gender on striatal V-3. Conclusions: These findings suggest that in using DAT or SERT ligands in the study of neuropsychiatric disorders, matching of female subjects according to a menstrual cycle phase is unnecessary. Although the present investigation did not confirm previous reports of gender differences in striatal DAT availability, controlling for gender in such studies still seems advisable.