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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Laura Best, Professor Nicola PaveseORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2019, The Author(s).Purpose of the Review: Microglial cell activation is an important component of neuroinflammation, and it is generally well accepted that chronic microglial activation is indicative of accumulating tissue damage in neurodegenerative conditions, particularly in the earlier stages of disease. Until recently, there has been less focus on the role of neuroinflammation in other forms of neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. Through this review, we hope to demonstrate the important role TSPO PET imaging has played in illuminating the pivotal role of neuroinflammation and microglial activation underpinning these conditions. Recent Findings: TSPO is an 18 kDa protein found on the outer membrane of mitochondria and can act as a marker of microglial activation using nuclear imaging. Through the development of radiopharmaceuticals targeting TSPO, researchers have been able to better characterise the spatial-temporal evolution of chronic neurological conditions, ranging from the focal autoimmune reactions seen in multiple sclerosis to the Wallerian degeneration at remote parts of the brain months following acute cerebral infarction. Summary: Development of novel techniques to investigate neuroinflammation within the central nervous system, for the purposes of diagnosis and therapeutics, has flourished over the past few decades. TSPO has proven itself a robust and sensitive biomarker of microglial activation and neuroimaging affords a minimally invasive technique to characterise neuroinflammatory processes in vivo.
Author(s): Ghadery C, Best LA, Pavese N, Tai YF, Strafella AP
Publication type: Review
Publication status: Published
Journal: Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports
Year: 2019
Volume: 19
Issue: 7
Online publication date: 28/05/2019
Acceptance date: 28/05/2019
ISSN (print): 1528-4042
ISSN (electronic): 1534-6293
Publisher: Current Medicine Group LLC 1
URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-019-0951-x
DOI: 10.1007/s11910-019-0951-x
