In vivo PET quantification of the dopamine transporter in rat brain with [18F]LBT-999

IntroductionWe examined whether [18F]LBT-999 ((E)-N-(4-fluorobut-2-enyl)2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4’-tolyl)nortropane) is an efficient positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for the quantification of the dopamine transporter (DAT) in the healthy rat brain.MethodsPET studies were performed using several experimental designs, i.e. test-retest, co-injection with different doses of unlabelled LBT, displacement with GBR12909 and pre-injection of amphetamine.ResultsThe uptake of [18F]LBT-999 confirmed its specific binding to the DAT. The non-displaceable uptake (BPND) in the striatum, between 5.37 and 4.39, was highly reproducible and reliable, and was decreased by 90% by acute injection of GBR12909. In the substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA), the variability was higher and the reliability was lower. Pre-injection of amphetamine induced decrease of [18F]LBT-999 BPND of 50% in the striatum.Conclusions[18F]LBT-999 allows the quantification of the DAT in living rat brain with high reproducibility, sensitivity and specificity. It could be used to quantify the DAT in rodent models, thereby allowing to study neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases.