2021
PET Imaging Estimates of Regional Acetylcholine Concentration Variation in Living Human Brain
Smart K, Naganawa M, Baldassarri SR, Nabulsi N, Ropchan J, Najafzadeh S, Gao H, Navarro A, Barth V, Esterlis I, Cosgrove KP, Huang Y, Carson RE, Hillmer AT. PET Imaging Estimates of Regional Acetylcholine Concentration Variation in Living Human Brain. Cerebral Cortex 2021, 31: 2787-2798. PMID: 33442731, PMCID: PMC8355478, DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa387.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsACh concentrationHuman volunteersHigh ACh concentrationsMuscarinic antagonist scopolamineHealthy human volunteersHuman brainCholinergic receptorsNicotine challengeAntagonist scopolaminePreclinical studiesStriatal regionsPET scansEndogenous neurotransmittersNeuropsychiatric diseasesNonhuman primatesWhole-brain imagesDrug occupancyNicotinic ligandsClinical populationsBrainAcetylcholineDistinct functional rolesStriatumVolunteersFunctional role
2020
Tobacco Smoking in People Is Not Associated with Altered 18-kDa Translocator Protein Levels: A PET Study
Hillmer AT, Matuskey D, Huang Y, Nabulsi N, Ropchan J, Carson RE, O'Malley SS, Cosgrove KP. Tobacco Smoking in People Is Not Associated with Altered 18-kDa Translocator Protein Levels: A PET Study. Journal Of Nuclear Medicine 2020, 61: 1200-1204. PMID: 32005773, PMCID: PMC7413239, DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.119.237735.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTobacco smokingTobacco smokersTSPO levelsImmune systemPET studiesBrain immune systemBrain TSPO levelsPrimary immunocompetent cellsPrevious PET studiesTranslocator proteinTranslocator protein (TSPO) levelsInflammatory effectsImmunocompetent cellsArterial bloodTobacco smokePET scansNonsmokersSmokersRadiotracer concentrationMedium effect sizeSmokingPET imagingBrainProtein levelsSignificant differences