Mapping the early inflammation process that leads to epilepsy in rodents
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Date
2009-01-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
Abstract
Imaging of the living brain using Positron Emission Tomography (PET), a noninvasive, sensitive and quantitative imaging methodology, allows us to investigate neurobiological mechanisms involved in the onset of the neurological disease. Our work has focused on investigating the pre-symptomatic neuroinflammatory
processes (called epileptogenesis) that lead development of chronic seizures, in an animal model of epilepsy. We have used our in-house radiotracer (18F-PBR111) which is highly specific for receptors expressed in the inflammatory response within the brain. Performing pre-clinical PET imaging with this radioligand allowed us to map and quantify neuroinflammation in vivo, and to correlate this with full in vitro assessment of the neuroinflammation response. The in vivo ligand binding patterns highly correlate with the structures involved in the generation of seizures, and these data reflect the in vitro data, illustrating that the PET binding represents
true neuroinflammation. Thus, longitudinal PET studies will be possible in order to follow-up the evolution of the inflammatory regions during the onset of the disease, and test new preventive therapies that modulate this disease process.
Description
Keywords
Brain, Images, Inflammation, Rodents, Positron computed tomography, Diseases, Data, Therapy
Citation
Callaghan, P., Dedeurwaerdere,, S., Gregoire, M., Pham. T., & Katsifis, A. (2009). Mapping the early inflammation process that leads to epilepsy in rodents. In Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Research selections 2009. Lucas Heights, NSW: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation. (pp. 22-25).