The Japanese journal of neuropsychology

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ArticleTitle	Brain inflammation, glial cells, and neurocognitive disorder: PET inflammatory imaging studies
Language	J
AuthorList	Fumihiko Yasuno
Affiliation	Department of Psychiatry, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology
Publication	Japanese Journal of Neuropsychology: 38 (1), 36-43, 2022
Received
Accepted
Abstract	In reaction to the inflammation due to the brain disorder and neural degeneration, glial cells are activated and the expression of 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) is increased in glial cells in addition to the gene expression of inflammatory cytokine. For the visualization of activated glial cells in the brain by positron emission tomography (PET), several potent and selective radioligands for TSPO have recently been developed, and they are used for the in-vivo investigation of the neuro-inflammation. In this paper, we discuss the relationship between neuroinflammation and glial activation in the brain. Then we describe the developmental status of the radioligands for TSPO-PET imaging, and present the findings shown in the TSPO-PET imaging studies of Alzheimer's disease. We also discuss the usefulness for the TSPO-PET imaging in the field of the neurocognitive psychology.
Keywords	positron emission tomography (PET), neuroinflammation, microglia, astrocyte, translocator protein (TSPO)