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DAT scan for Parkinsons disease usefulness and cost
Parkinson's Disease | Last Active: 1 hour ago | Replies (35)Comment receiving replies
Can you have Parkinson’s Disease if your DATScan is normal? I have many of the Parkinson’s disease symptoms but the DATScan is normal.
Replies to "Can you have Parkinson’s Disease if your DATScan is normal? I have many of the Parkinson’s..."
@ladylawyer - I see you joined Mayo Clinic Connect recently, so welcome. I wanted to let you know I moved your post here so you could chat with those in this existing discussion on DA Tscans:
- DAT scan for Parkinsons disease usefulness and cost https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/dat-scan-for-parkinsons-disease-usefulness-and-cost/
Hoping that here you can connect with members such as @eojeda1 @emmit @sillyblone and others about whether one may still have Parkinson's with a normal Da Tscan.
What Parkinson's disease symptoms do you have currently, ladylawyer?
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I asked ChatGPT your question:
1. What a DaTscan actually measures
A DaTscan looks at dopamine transporter activity in a part of the brain called the Striatum.In classic Parkinson’s disease, dopamine-producing neurons gradually die, so the scan usually shows reduced dopamine uptake.
So normally:
• Abnormal DaTscan → supports Parkinson’s
• Normal DaTscan → suggests something else
But it isn’t perfect.