Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 29, 2026
Simultaneous Imaging of Microglial Dynamics and Neuronal Activity in Awake Mice
Published on: August 23, 2022
Widespread microglial activation in multiple system atrophy
Dorothee Kübler1, Tobias Wächter2,3, Nicole Cabanel4
1Movement Disorders Section, Department of Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Background:
The pattern and role of microglial activation in multiple system atrophy is largely unclear. The objective of this study was to use [11 C](R)-PK11195 PET to determine the extent and correlation of activated microglia with clinical parameters in MSA patients.
Methods:
Fourteen patients with the parkinsonian phenotype of MSA (MSA-P) with a mean disease duration of 2.9 years (range 2-5 years) were examined with [11 C](R)-PK11195 PET and compared with 10 healthy controls.
Results:
Patients with the parkinsonian phenotype of MSA showed a significant (P ≤ 0.01) mean increase in binding potentials compared with healthy controls in the caudate nucleus, putamen, pallidum, precentral gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, presubgenual anterior cingulate cortex, and the superior parietal gyrus. No correlations between binding potentials and clinical parameters were found.
Conclusions:
In early clinical stages of the parkinsonian phenotype of MSA, there is widespread microglial activation as a marker of neuroinflammatory changes without correlation to clinical parameters in our patient population. © 2019 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Insights
Microglial activation is widespread in early Parkinsonian Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), indicating neuroinflammation. However, this brain inflammation did not correlate with clinical symptoms in patients studied.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Radiology
Background:
- The role and pattern of microglial activation in Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) remain poorly understood.
- Neuroinflammation is implicated in MSA pathogenesis, but its extent and relationship to clinical presentation are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate microglial activation in patients with the parkinsonian phenotype of MSA (MSA-P) using Positron Emission Tomography (PET).
- To determine the correlation between activated microglia and clinical parameters in MSA-P patients.
Main Methods:
- Utilized [11C](R)-PK11195 PET imaging to assess microglial activation.
- Examined 14 patients with MSA-P (mean disease duration 2.9 years) and compared them to 10 healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Significant increases in [11C](R)-PK11195 binding potentials were observed in multiple brain regions of MSA-P patients compared to controls.
- Affected areas included the caudate nucleus, putamen, pallidum, precentral gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, presubgenual anterior cingulate cortex, and superior parietal gyrus.
- No significant correlations were found between microglial activation levels and clinical parameters in the studied MSA-P population.
Conclusions:
- Widespread microglial activation is evident in early stages of MSA-P, serving as a marker of neuroinflammatory processes.
- This neuroinflammation does not appear to correlate with clinical symptoms in the early disease stages of MSA-P.
- Findings highlight the presence of early neuroinflammatory changes in MSA-P, warranting further investigation into their long-term impact.
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