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Neuroinflammation in Neurodegenerative Disorders—a Review

  • Neuroimaging (DJ Brooks, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

The potential for positron emission tomography (PET) to detect neuroinflammation in vivo has sparked a remarkable interest in various disciplines of neuroscience. Early PET radioligands, such as [11C]PK(R)-11195 for the 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO) and [11C]L-deprenyl for monoamine oxidase B, have been used in studies designed to clarify the role of neuroinflammation in a variety of psychiatric and neurological disorders. Recent years have witnessed the development of several second-generation PET radioligands for TSPO and radioligands to measure endogenous targets that are active in various stages of the inflammatory cascade, such as cyclooxygenase and arachidonic acid. Here, we discuss some of the biomarkers for neuroinflammation that are available for quantification with PET, as well as recent findings from studies where neuroinflammation has been assessed in neurodegenerative disorders. In addition, we highlight the challenges to accurate interpretation of PET studies of neuroinflammation.

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  1. Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology Division, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, 1051 Riverside Drive, NYSPI Unit 42, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Martin Schain

  2. Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, 622 W. 168th Street, PH Building 19th Floor, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    William Charles Kreisl

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Schain, M., Kreisl, W.C. Neuroinflammation in Neurodegenerative Disorders—a Review. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 17, 25 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-017-0733-2

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