Florbetapir F 18 PET Imaging of Beta-amyloid in Parkinson's Disease Patients

Inclusion criteria

• Subjects may be enrolled if they (inclusion criteria):

• Are males or females ≥60 years of age
• Meet research diagnostic criteria for Parkinson's disease:
• Diagnosis of a parkinsonian syndrome

• Bradykinesia (slowness of initiation of voluntary movement with progressive reduction in speed and amplitude of repetitive actions)
• At least one of the following: muscle rigidity, rest tremor, postural instability not due to visual, vestibular, cerebellar or proprioceptive causes
• Supportive criteria for diagnosis of PD (two or more required)

• Unilateral onset of symptoms and persistent asymmetry
• Rest tremor present
• Progressive illness
• Excellent response to levodopa with dyskinesias
• Levodopa response for 5 years or more
• Clinical course of 10 years or more
• Have the ability to lie flat and tolerate a 10 minute PET scan.

Exclusion criteria

• Subjects may not be enrolled if any of the following are present (exclusion criteria):

• History of repeated strokes, repeated head injury, definite encephalitis
• Use of neuroleptics at onset of symptoms
• Sustained remission
• Strictly unilateral feature persisting > three years after onset
• Significant supranuclear gaze palsy
• Cerebellar, pyramidal and early severe autonomic findings
• Early severe dementia suggesting a diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)
• Imaging study showing structural abnormality that could explain parkinsonism
• Negative response to an adequate levodopa trial
• Current clinically significant psychiatric disease that prohibits providing informed consent or participation in the study
• Current clinically significant endocrine or metabolic disease, pulmonary,
• Women of childbearing potential who are not two or more years post menopausal or surgically sterilized
• Have received any investigational medications, or have participated in a trial with investigational medications within the last 30 days