SPECT as Diagnostic Tool for Hyperactivity Disorder

Five were classified normal by standard tests and interviews, while the other eight were diagnosed with drug-naïve ADHD. The patients were injected with the radiopharmaceutical I-123 Altropane, which binds to dopamine transporters in the basal ganglia section of the brain, and then SPECT scans were performed.

The results revealed that the binding ratio of I-23 Altropane to dopamine transporters was higher in ADHD patients than in normal patients, which supports dopamine deficiency in ADHD patients. The study's authors noted, "We are quite encouraged by the results and the excellent potential of I-123 Altropane SPECT to serve as an effective supplement to traditional ADHD diagnostic methods.”

The study, presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Imaging in New Orleans (LA, USA), was conducted by Dr. Carmen Thomas and colleagues from the University of Los Angeles Medical Cancer and Neuropsychiatric Institute (UCLA, USA).