Four-YearFollow-upof [F-18]Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography-Based Parkinson's Disease-Related Pattern Expression in 20 Patients With Isolated Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder Shows Prodromal Progression

Background: Isolated rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder is known to be prodromal for alpha-synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies. The [¹⁸F]fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (PET)–based PD-related brain pattern can be used to monitor disease progression. Objective: We longitudinally investigated PD-related brain pattern expression changes in 20 subjects with isolated rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder to investigate whether this may be a suitable technique to study prodromal PD progression in these patients and to identify potential phenoconverters. Methods: Subjects underwent two [¹⁸F]fluorodeoxyglucose-PET brain scans ~3.7 years apart, along with baseline and repeated motor, cognitive, and olfactory testing within roughly the same time frame. Results: At baseline, 8 of 20 (40%) subjects significantly expressed the PD-related brain pattern (with z scores above the receiver operating characteristic–determined threshold). At follow-up, six additional subjects exhibited significant PD-related brain pattern expression (70% in total). PD-related brain pattern expression increased in all subjects (P = 0.00008). Four subjects (20%), all with significant baseline PD-related brain pattern expression, phenoconverted to clinical PD. Conclusions: Suprathreshold PD-related brain pattern expression and greater score rate of change may signify greater shorter-term risk for phenoconversion. Our results support the use of serial PD-related brain pattern expression measurements as a prodromal PD progression biomarker in patients with isolated rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder.