Role of the Striatal Cholinergic System in the Pathophysiology of Dystonia

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that the phenotype of dystonia is associated with the degree of striatal ACh-I alterations.

In this molecular imaging study, the investigators will directly test this hypothesis using a PET radiotracer of the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAT). Their goal is to explore the relationships between cholinergic dysfunction and clinical disease expression and the associated morphological and functional alterations. The experimental protocol will also include multimodal MRI, MRI diffusion tensor (to study the microscopic structure of white matter) and functional MRI of the resting state (to study the functional organization of cerebral cholinergic networks at rest).

Inclusion criteria

• Man or woman 18 to 75 years, with health insurance European health insurance card (for resident patients in EU), insurance by bilateral social security agreement signed between his country and France (for resident patients outside the EU)
• Diagnosis of dystonia DYT1 confirmed by molecular biology (TORSINE- A gene mutation)
• Patient who stopped his anticholinergic treatment 48 hours before imaging

Exclusion criteria

• Patients who underwent surgery for deep brain stimulation or under cholinergic treatment.
• Presence of a counter-indication for MRI
• Presence of a counter-indication for TEP Scan with [18F]-FEOBV
• Woman premenopausal without effective ongoing contraception (intrauterine device or combined hormonal)
• Patient who underwent a PET examination in the previous month
• Presence of any health problem preventing travel to the imaging service of the University Hospital
• Being under the legal guardianship of another person or being unable to provide consent to participate
• Pregnant or breastfeeding woman