Application of cross-species PET imaging to assess neurotransmitter release in brain.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review and methodological summary with no primary clinical trial data
PubMed 25921033 · doi:10.1007/s00213-015-3938-6
What was done
This narrative review summarizes the translational application of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to assess synaptic concentrations of endogenous neurotransmitters (such as dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline, GABA, glutamate, acetylcholine, and opioid peptides). It outlines methodological workflows incorporating in vitro cell and tissue assays, in vivo rodent receptor binding and microdialysis, and in vivo PET in non-human primates and humans developed under the Innovative Medicines Initiative NEWMEDS consortium.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative values or statistical metrics. It notes that prior to 2009, PET radioligands sensitive to endogenous neurotransmitter changes were only validated for dopamine, and describes subsequent translational efforts to validate radioligands and pharmacological challenge paradigms for serotonin, noradrenaline, and other neurochemical systems.
Why it matters
Developing cross-species PET radioligands sensitive to dynamic neurochemical fluctuations provides non-invasive translational biomarkers for psychiatric drug discovery and target validation.
Limits
The abstract provides no quantitative data, effect sizes, or study counts. As a narrative review, it lacks systematic search methodology and is prone to selection bias. Developing radioligands with sufficient sensitivity to detect endogenous displacement remains technically challenging for non-dopamine targets.
Cited by
- supports Absolute dopamine concentrations can be measured directly in rodent brains, whereas in living humans researchers are limited to relative measurements of dopamine transmission.