Molecular Imaging of Neuroinflammation in Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease

Neuroinflammation is an important aspect of Parkinson's disease. The study of Parkinson's disease neuroinflammation is quite challenging and is accompanied by controversy. To date, molecular imaging studies have been targeting microglia and more recently astrocytes. In this review article, we discuss the findings from key PET studies with tracers specific for the translocator protein (microglia-specific) and novel evidence from the development of astrocyte-specific PET tracers. We also discuss evidence from pathology studies and in the animal model of Parkinson's disease that form the biological background of current and newer PET neuroinflammation tracers. However, findings from PET imaging studies in microglia have so far not been translated in clinical practice, while no PET study has been conducted in Parkinson's disease specifically targeting astrocytes. Research work is currently focused on (a) identifying new molecular targets for the study of neuroinflammation through PET, (b) assessing the state of neuroinflammation in Parkinson's disease with accuracy and reliability, and (c) developing strategies to modulate the underlying processes of neuroinflammation.