Brain imaging of 18F-fallypride in normal volunteers: blood analysis, distribution, test-retest studies, and preliminary assessment of sensitivity to aging effects on dopamine D-2/D-3 receptors.

Human studies of dopamine D2/D3 receptors using 18F-fallypride-PET in normal volunteers were performed to evaluate brain distribution in striatal and extrastriatal regions, evaluate metabolites in blood plasma, establish PET imaging protocol for this new radiotracer, evaluate graphical methods of analysis to quantitate D2/D3 receptors, and assess the ability of 18F-fallypride to measure changes in D2/D3 receptors with aging as a model. Subjects (6; 21-63 years) had a PET scan on a Siemens HR+ scanner with 18F-fallypride and a T1-weighted MRI scan on a 1.5T GE scanner for purposes of anatomical coregistration with PET.