Neuroimaging with PET/CT in chronic traumatic encephalopathy: what nuclear medicine can do to move the field forward
Abstract
Introduction Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive neurodegenerative syndrome, caused by single or repeated traumatic brain injuries. Since a few years ago, post mortem examination represented the only effective method to diagnose CTE through the detection of its peculiar neuropathological features (i.e. tau protein aggregates) at a macroscopic and microscopic level. Several efforts have been made to develop radiopharmaceuticals characterized by high affinity for tau aggregates, suitable for imaging through positron emission computed tomography (Tau-PET).Areas covered The various radiopharmaceuticals utilized for the molecular imaging of CTE through Tau-PET are covered, with specific reference to their applications in clinical practice. Furthermore, PET probes binding to the translocator protein (TSPO), a marker of brain injury and repair, are reviewed as potential tools for the imaging of neuroinflammatory cascade associated with CTE.Expert opinion Molecular neuroimaging of CTE with Tau-PET is an intriguing, although still not completely explored, tool for the in vivo detection and monitoring of neuropathological hallmarks associated with CTE. Furthermore, some novel tracers, such as TSPO-ligands, hold the promise to get an insight into the complex physiopathological mechanisms leading from brain injury to symptomatic CTE.
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Neurological applications of radiopharmaceutical theranostics encompass diagnosis and monitoring of neurodegenerative disorders, providing insights into neural function and degeneration patterns.
“Neurological applications encompass the diagnosis and monitoring of neurodegenerative disorders, with radiopharmaceuticals providing insights into neural function and degeneration patterns [50].”
From Radiopharmaceuticals: navigating the frontier of precision medicine and therapeutic innovation (2024) · cites this paper as [50]
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- Authors
- Filippi, L., Schillaci, O., & Palumbo, B.
- Affiliations
- Ospedale Santa Maria Goretti (IT)
- University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT)
- University of Perugia (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Filippi, Luca
- Venue
- Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2022-02
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 149-156
- ISSN
- 1473-7159 (ISSN-L)
- 1744-8352
- OpenAlex
- W4210580998
- Cited by
- 12
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 2.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Cineca Institutional Research Information System (Tor Vergata University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Medical Imaging Techniques and Applications
- Keywords
- chronic traumatic encephalopathy, tau PET, translocator protein (TSPO), TSPO ligands, neuroinflammation, molecular neuroimaging, traumatic brain injury, neurodegeneration, in vivo diagnosis
- MeSH terms
- Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography, Humans, Nuclear Medicine, Receptors, GABA, Positron-Emission Tomography, Neuroimaging
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