3) Molecular Imaging
Neuroinflammation imaging

TSPO (translocator protein) is a mitochondrial membrane protein that is highly expressed in activated glial cells. F-18 DPA-714 has been used as a PET imaging probe for TSPO.
Here, we used a traumatic brain injury (TBI) model to track neuroinflammation (glial cell activation) after TBI.
One week after administration, glial cell activation was observed mainly in the cortex, but after 3 weeks after administration, high accumulation was observed in the deep part of the brain (near the thalamus), and inflammation moved with time. It was called inflammatory projection. ¹⁾

1) Hosomi S et al. Neuroimage Clin. 2018