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Translocator Protein PET Imaging for Glial Activation in Multiple Sclerosis

Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology volume 6, pages 354–361 (2011)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 20 April 2011

Abstract

Glial activation in the setting of central nervous system inflammation is a key feature of the multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology. Monitoring glial activation in subjects with MS, therefore, has the potential to be informative with respect to disease activity. The translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) is a promising biomarker of glial activation that can be imaged by positron emission tomography (PET). To characterize the in vivo TSPO expression in MS, we analyzed brain PET scans in subjects with MS and healthy volunteers in an observational study using [11C]PBR28, a newly developed translocator protein-specific radioligand. The [11C]PBR28 PET showed altered compartmental distribution of TSPO in the MS brain compared to healthy volunteers (p = 0.019). Focal increases in [11C]PBR28 binding corresponded to areas of active inflammation as evidenced by significantly greater binding in regions of gadolinium contrast enhancement compared to contralateral normal-appearing white matter (p = 0.0039). Furthermore, increase in [11C]PBR28 binding preceded the appearance of contrast enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging in some lesions, suggesting a role for early glial activation in MS lesion formation. Global [11C]PBR28 binding showed correlation with disease duration (p = 0.041), but not with measures of clinical disability. These results further define TSPO as an informative marker of glial activation in MS.

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Acknowledgement

We thank Maria Ferraris Araneta (MIB/NIMH) and Kaylan Fenton (NIB/NINDS) for clinical support. This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH (NINDS and NIMH).

Conflict of interest

The authors have no financial conflicts of interest to disclose.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bldg 10 Rm 5C103, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Unsong Oh, Iordanis E. Evangelou, Erin Harberts, Joan Ohayon & Steven Jacobson

  2. Molecular Imaging Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Masahiro Fujita, Victor W. Pike, Yi Zhang, Sami S. Zoghbi & Robert B. Innis

  3. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    Vasiliki N. Ikonomidou

  4. Department of Neurology and Geriatrics, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan

    Eiji Matsuura

Authors
  1. Unsong Oh
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  2. Masahiro Fujita
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  3. Vasiliki N. Ikonomidou
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  4. Iordanis E. Evangelou
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  5. Eiji Matsuura
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  6. Erin Harberts
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  7. Joan Ohayon
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  8. Victor W. Pike
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  9. Yi Zhang
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  10. Sami S. Zoghbi
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  11. Robert B. Innis
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  12. Steven Jacobson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Steven Jacobson.

Additional information

Unsong Oh and Masahiro Fujita contributed equally to the manuscript.

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11481-011-9273-8

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Oh, U., Fujita, M., Ikonomidou, V.N. et al. Translocator Protein PET Imaging for Glial Activation in Multiple Sclerosis. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 6, 354–361 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11481-010-9243-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11481-010-9243-6

Keywords

  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Translocator protein
  • PET
  • Glial activation