title: Recent Developments in Molecular Brain Imaging of Neuropsychiatric Disorders.
abstract: Molecular imaging with PET or SPECT has been an important research tool in psychiatry for as long as these modalities have been available. Here, we discuss two areas of neuroimaging relevant to current psychiatry research. The first is the use of imaging to study neurotransmission. We discuss the use of pharmacologic probes to induce changes in levels of neurotransmitters that can be inferred through their effects on outcome measures of imaging experiments, from their historical origins focusing on dopamine transmission through recent developments involving serotonin, GABA, and glutamate. Next, we examine imaging of neuroinflammation in the context of psychiatry. Imaging markers of neuroinflammation have been studied extensively in other areas of brain research, but they have more recently attracted interest in psychiatry research, based on accumulating evidence that there may be an inflammatory component to some psychiatric conditions. Furthermore, new probes are under development that would allow unprecedented insights into cellular processes. In summary, molecular imaging would continue to offer great potential as a unique tool to further our understanding of brain function in health and disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY; Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, New York, NY. Electronic address: mark.slifstein@stonybrookmedicine.edu.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Slifstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Department of Radiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY; Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Anissa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abi-Dargham
mesh_terms: D000494:Allosteric Regulation; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission
chemical_list: D004298:Dopamine