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Contribution of TSPO imaging in the understanding of the state of gliosis in substance use disorders

  • Review Article
  • Published:
European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Recent research in last years in substance use disorders (SUD) synthesized a proinflammatory hypothesis of SUD based on reported pieces of evidence of non-neuronal central immune signalling pathways modulated by drug of abuse and that contribute to their pharmacodynamic actions. Positron emission tomography has been shown to be a precious imaging technique to study in vivo neurochemical processes involved in SUD and to highlight the central immune signalling actions of drugs of abuse.

Methods

In this review, we investigate the contribution of the central immune system, with a particular focus on translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) imaging, associated with a series of drugs involved in substance use disorders (SUD) specifically alcohol, opioids, tobacco, methamphetamine, cocaine, and cannabis.

Results

The large majority of preclinical and clinical studies presented in this review converges towards SUD modulation of the neuroimmune responses and TSPO expression and speculated a pivotal positioning in the pathogenesis of SUD. However, some contradictions concerning the same drug or between preclinical and clinical studies make it difficult to draw a clear picture about the significance of glial state in SUD.

Discussion

Significant disparities in clinical and biological characteristics are present between investigated populations among studies. Heterogeneity in genetic factors and other clinical co-morbidities, difficult to be reproduced in animal models, may affect findings. On the other hand, technical aspects including study designs, radioligand limitations, or PET imaging quantification methods could impact the study results and should be considered to explain discrepancies in outcomes.

Conclusion

The supposed neuroimmune component of SUD provides new therapeutic approaches in the prediction and treatment of SUD pointing to the central immune signalling.

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Funding

This work was performed on a platform member of the France Life Imaging network (grant ANR-11-INBS-0006).

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  1. Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Inserm, BioMaps, Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot, 4 place du général Leclerc, 91401, Orsay, France

    Claire Leroy & Wadad Saba

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Both authors conceived, performed the literature search and analyses, and wrote the review. Both authors approved the final version of the review.

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Correspondence to Wadad Saba.

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Leroy, C., Saba, W. Contribution of TSPO imaging in the understanding of the state of gliosis in substance use disorders. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 49, 186–200 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-021-05408-x

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