Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026
In vivo Imaging of the Mouse Spinal Cord Using Two-photon Microscopy
Published on: January 5, 2012
In vivo imaging of the spinal cord cholinergic system with PET
1Division of Radiologic Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1061, USA.
Purpose:
Our goal was to demonstrate the feasibility of an in vivo noninvasive method for imaging spinal cord cholinergic terminals using (+)-4-[18F]fluorobenzyltrozamicol ([18F]FBT) and PET.
Method:
In vitro and in vivo experiments in rats were conducted to demonstrate the specific binding characteristics, localization, and time course of [3H]FBT binding in the spinal cord. PET imaging was then performed on seven rhesus monkeys.
Results:
The rat studies demonstrate high specific binding in the spinal cord with a distribution coinciding with the known distribution of cholinergic terminals. In vivo tracer concentrations in the spinal cord and basal ganglia were of the same magnitude. With use of [18F]FBT and PET in the rhesus monkey, the spinal cord was clearly visualized, with tracer concentration in the spinal cord being approximately one-fourth of that seen in the basal ganglia.
Conclusion:
This work demonstrates the feasibility of imaging cholinergic terminals in vivo in the spinal cord using [18F]FBT and PET.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Positron Emission Tomography
One of the main requirements of a PET scan is a positron-emitting radioisotope, which is produced in a cyclotron and then attached to a substance used by the part of the body being...
01:25Imaging Studies II: Positron Emission Tomography and Scintigraphy
Fundamental Principles of PET