6-[18f]fluoro-l-m-tyrosine

6-[18F]fluoro-l-m-tyrosine (6-[18F]FMT) is a radiolabeled noncatecholic amino acid analog used as a diagnostic positron emission tomography (PET) imaging tracer to assess dopaminergic and noradrenergic function in the central nervous system. It serves as a substrate for the enzyme L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), which converts it into 6-[18F]fluorometatyramine. Unlike the more common tracer [18F]FDOPA, 6-[18F]FMT is not a substrate for catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), which simplifies kinetic modeling and results in higher contrast images of AADC activity. It is primarily utilized in clinical research to evaluate the integrity of the nigrostriatal pathway in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and to study noradrenergic dysfunction in the locus coeruleus.

Other names

6-fluoro-L-m-tyrosine6-fluoro-meta-tyrosineF-18 FMTF18 FMTF 18 FMT6-[18F]fluoro-L-meta-tyrosine