Hi @chrissymc - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.
We are not doctors and don't have medical training, but perhaps some of the members in the Parkinson's disease support group can share what they've learned from their own experiences with their doctors and their reading and research.

Here's some Mayo Clinic information on PD diagnosis, including a description of DAT scans:

Parkinson's disease: Diagnosis https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20376062.

You may also find this Connect discussion specifically on DAT scans useful:

- DAT scan for Parkinsons disease usefulness and cost https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/dat-scan-for-parkinsons-disease-usefulness-and-cost/

Have you been experiencing symptoms that led your doctor to order this scan? If so, will you share more about what symptoms you've had?

Hello @chrissymc

I would like to join Lisa, @lisalucier, in welcoming you to the PD support group on Mayo Clinic Connect. As Lisa said, on Connect, we are patients like you who are here to support and encourage each other; we aren't medical professionals and therefore aren't qualified to interpret medical test results. I would encourage you to contact your doctor's office to discuss the results of the DAT scan.

In the meantime, I wonder what symptoms you were having that led to this scan. When I was first diagnosed, I was having an unsteady gait, balance problems, and a very soft voice. When I began treatment with carbidopa/levodopa, many of those symptoms improved.

Share as you are comfortable, a little about your most bothersome symptoms.