Association between decline in brain dopamine activity with age and cognitive and motor impairment in healthy individuals.
Association between decline in brain dopamine activity with age and cognitive and motor impairment in healthy individuals.
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DOI：
10.1176/ajp.155.3.344
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发表时间：
1998-03
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
N. Volkow;R. Gur;Gene-Jack Wang;J. Fowler;P. Moberg;Yu-Shin Ding;R. Hitzemann;Gwenn S. Smith;J. Logan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
N. Volkow;R. Gur;Gene-Jack Wang;J. Fowler;P. Moberg;Yu-Shin Ding;R. Hitzemann;Gwenn S. Smith;J. Logan
目的虽然有文献证明脑多巴胺活性随年龄增长而下降，但其功能意义尚不清楚。本研究评估了健康个体大脑多巴胺活性测量值与运动和认知功能指标之间的关系。方法30例24-86岁健康志愿者，应用正电子发射断层显像（PET）和[11 C]雷氯必利检测多巴胺D2受体。所有受试者都接受了神经心理学测试，其中包括对神经退行性疾病患者的多巴胺变化敏感的任务和对照任务。结果：[11 C]雷氯必利从血浆向纹状体和小脑的脑转移不受年龄的影响。相反，D2受体的可用性在尾状核和壳核下降，随着年龄的增长。D2受体和神经心理测试表现之间的相关性最强的运动任务（手指敲击测试），也是显着的大多数任务涉及额叶脑区，包括抽象和心理灵活性（威斯康星州卡片分类测试）和注意力和反应抑制（Stroop色词测试，干扰分数）的措施。在控制年龄效应后，这些关系仍然显着。结论：脑多巴胺活性的减少与运动功能的下降有关，也可能导致涉及额叶脑区的任务表现受损。增强多巴胺活性的干预措施可能会改善老年人的表现和生活质量。在年龄效应部分消失后，相关性仍然很显著，这一事实表明，多巴胺活动可能会影响运动和认知能力，而与年龄无关。
OBJECTIVE Although it is documented that brain dopamine activity declines with age, the functional significance of this is not known. This study assessed the relation between measures of brain dopamine activity and indexes of motor and cognitive function in healthy individuals. METHOD Thirty healthy volunteers aged 24-86 years were studied with positron emission tomography and [11C]raclopride to assess dopamine D2 receptors. All subjects underwent a neuropsychological test battery that included tasks found to be sensitive to dopamine alterations in patients with neurodegenerative disease and control tasks. RESULTS Transfer of [11C]raclopride from plasma to brain in the striatum and cerebellum was not affected by age. In contrast, D2 receptor availability in the caudate and putamen declined with age. Correlations between D2 receptors and neuropsychological test performance were strongest for the motor task (Finger Tapping Test) and were also significant for most tasks involving frontal brain regions, including measures of abstraction and mental flexibility (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test) and attention and response inhibition (Stroop Color-Word Test, interference score). These relationships remained significant after control for age effects. CONCLUSIONS Age-related decreases in brain dopamine activity are associated with a decline in motor function and may also contribute to impaired performance on tasks that involve frontal brain regions. Interventions that enhance dopamine activity may improve performance and quality of life for the elderly. The fact that correlations remained significant after age effects were partialed out suggests that dopamine activity may influence motor and cognitive performance irrespective of age.