title: Imaging in cell-based therapy for neurodegenerative diseases.
abstract: Fetal cell transplantation for the treatment of Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases has been developed over the past two decades and is now in early clinical testing phase. Direct assessment of the graft's survival, integration into the host brain and impact on neuronal functions requires advanced in vivo neuroimaging techniques. Owing to its high sensitivity, positron emission tomography is today the most widely used tool to evaluate the viability and function of the transplanted tissue in the brain. Nuclear magnetic resonance techniques are opening new possibilities for imaging neurochemical events in the brain. The ultimate goal will be to use the combination of multiple imaging modalities for complete functional monitoring of the repair processes in the central nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Section for Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Disease Modeling Group, Lund University, BMC A11, 22184, Lund, Sweden. deniz.kirik@med.lu.se
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kirik
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Breysse
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Björklund
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Besret
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hantraye
mesh_terms: D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D015336:Molecular Probe Techniques; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*