2023
Evaluating infusion methods and simplified quantification of synaptic density in vivo with [11C]UCB-J and [18F]SynVesT-1 PET
Asch R, Naganawa M, Nabulsi N, Huan Y, Esterlis I, Carson R. Evaluating infusion methods and simplified quantification of synaptic density in vivo with [11C]UCB-J and [18F]SynVesT-1 PET. Cerebrovascular And Brain Metabolism Reviews 2023, 43: 2120-2129. PMID: 37669455, PMCID: PMC10925870, DOI: 10.1177/0271678x231200423.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchInvestigating CNS distribution of PF‐05212377, a P‐glycoprotein substrate, by translation of 5‐HT6 receptor occupancy from non‐human primates to humans
Sawant‐Basak A, Chen L, Lockwood P, Boyden T, Doran A, Mancuso J, Zasadny K, McCarthy T, Morris E, Carson R, Esterlis I, Huang Y, Nabulsi N, Planeta B, Fullerton T. Investigating CNS distribution of PF‐05212377, a P‐glycoprotein substrate, by translation of 5‐HT6 receptor occupancy from non‐human primates to humans. Biopharmaceutics & Drug Disposition 2023, 44: 48-59. PMID: 36825693, DOI: 10.1002/bdd.2351.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNon-human primatesBrain penetrationPositron emission tomographyReceptor occupancyUnbound concentrationsPre-clinical evidenceVivo brain penetrationConcentration-dependent increaseP-glycoprotein substratesPlasma ECsP-gpAlzheimer's diseaseEmission tomographyRat BBBTarget engagementCumulative evidenceDependent increaseTransporter substratesCNS distributionBBBRatsDiseasePrimatesSpecies differencesHumans
2022
Multimodal neuroimaging of metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors and functional connectivity in alcohol use disorder
Smart K, Worhunsky PD, Scheinost D, Angarita GA, Esterlis I, Carson RE, Krystal JH, O'Malley SS, Cosgrove KP, Hillmer AT. Multimodal neuroimaging of metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors and functional connectivity in alcohol use disorder. Alcohol Clinical And Experimental Research 2022, 46: 770-782. PMID: 35342968, PMCID: PMC9117461, DOI: 10.1111/acer.14816.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMetabotropic glutamate 5 receptorsDefault mode networkFunctional magnetic resonance imagingReceptor availabilityPositron emission tomographyAUD groupFunctional connectivityReceptor positron emission tomographyResting-state functional magnetic resonance imagingNetwork-level functional connectivityBrain connectivityWeeks of abstinenceGlobal functional connectivityAlcohol use disorderMagnetic resonance imagingFMRI outcomesHealthy controlsSupervised abstinencePET resultsUse disordersSynaptic plasticityResonance imagingBrain regionsEmission tomographyOrbitofrontal cortexImaging the effect of ketamine on synaptic density (SV2A) in the living brain
Holmes SE, Finnema SJ, Naganawa M, DellaGioia N, Holden D, Fowles K, Davis M, Ropchan J, Emory P, Ye Y, Nabulsi N, Matuskey D, Angarita GA, Pietrzak RH, Duman RS, Sanacora G, Krystal JH, Carson RE, Esterlis I. Imaging the effect of ketamine on synaptic density (SV2A) in the living brain. Molecular Psychiatry 2022, 27: 2273-2281. PMID: 35165397, PMCID: PMC9133063, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01465-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsKetamine's therapeutic effectsMajor depressive disorderTherapeutic effectPositron emission tomographyPosttraumatic stress disorderHealthy controlsSynaptic connectionsSynaptic vesicle protein 2APost-synaptic mechanismsEffects of ketamineDiscovery of ketamineNon-human primatesAntidepressant effectsDepressive disorderSingle administrationSynaptic densityPsychiatric disordersDepression severityKetamineEmission tomographyTerminal densityLiving brainStress disorderRobust reductionDissociative symptoms
2021
Lower prefrontal cortical synaptic vesicle binding in cocaine use disorder: An exploratory 11C‐UCB‐J positron emission tomography study in humans
Angarita GA, Worhunsky PD, Naganawa M, Toyonaga T, Nabulsi NB, Li C, Esterlis I, Skosnik PD, Radhakrishnan R, Pittman B, Gueorguieva R, Potenza MN, Finnema SJ, Huang Y, Carson RE, Malison RT. Lower prefrontal cortical synaptic vesicle binding in cocaine use disorder: An exploratory 11C‐UCB‐J positron emission tomography study in humans. Addiction Biology 2021, 27: e13123. PMID: 34852401, PMCID: PMC8891080, DOI: 10.1111/adb.13123.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCocaine use disorderAnterior cingulate cortexRecent cocaine useSynaptic densityMedial orbitofrontal cortexPrefrontal cortexCocaine useOrbitofrontal cortexUse disordersVentromedial prefrontal cortexPositron emission tomography scanPositron emission tomography studyEmission tomography scanSynaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2AHealthy control subjectsVolume of distributionEmission tomography studiesAcute cocaineControl subjectsTomography scanCocaine exposurePreclinical studiesHC subjectsDendritic spinesLifetime cocaine useLower synaptic density is associated with psychiatric and cognitive alterations in obesity
Asch RH, Holmes SE, Jastreboff AM, Potenza MN, Baldassarri SR, Carson RE, Pietrzak RH, Esterlis I. Lower synaptic density is associated with psychiatric and cognitive alterations in obesity. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021, 47: 543-552. PMID: 34294874, PMCID: PMC8674236, DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01111-5.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsStress-related psychiatric disordersBody mass indexLower synaptic densitySynaptic densityPsychiatric disordersPsychiatric diagnosisOverweight/obesityNormal-weight individualsNormal-weight participantsSerious medical conditionPositron emission tomographyStress-related psychopathologyDorsolateral prefrontal cortexOverweight/Mass indexWeight participantsWeight individualsHealthy controlsTension/anxietyAssociated symptomatologyMedical conditionsIntervention development effortsObesityCognitive alterationsPsychiatric groupsFirst in vivo evaluations of synaptic density alterations in the brain
Esterlis I, Holmes S. First in vivo evaluations of synaptic density alterations in the brain. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021, 47: 381-382. PMID: 34285369, PMCID: PMC8617161, DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01099-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBrainSynapsesIn vivo evidence of lower synaptic vesicle density in schizophrenia
Radhakrishnan R, Skosnik PD, Ranganathan M, Naganawa M, Toyonaga T, Finnema S, Hillmer AT, Esterlis I, Huang Y, Nabulsi N, Carson RE, D’Souza D. In vivo evidence of lower synaptic vesicle density in schizophrenia. Molecular Psychiatry 2021, 26: 7690-7698. PMID: 34135473, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01184-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSynaptic vesicle densityHealthy controlsVesicle densityHigh-resolution research tomographySynaptic densitySCZ patientsVivo measuresNovel positron emission tomography (PET) ligandGender-matched healthy controlsCumulative antipsychotic exposurePositron emission tomography (PET) ligandSynaptic spine densityPsychosis symptom severityGray matter volumeJ bindingAntipsychotic exposureSpine densityDisease progressionFrontal cortexOccipital cortexTomography ligandTemporal cortexAnterior cingulateVivo findingsParietal cortexIdentifying brain networks in synaptic density PET (11C-UCB-J) with independent component analysis
Fang XT, Toyonaga T, Hillmer AT, Matuskey D, Holmes SE, Radhakrishnan R, Mecca AP, van Dyck CH, D’Souza D, Esterlis I, Worhunsky PD, Carson RE. Identifying brain networks in synaptic density PET (11C-UCB-J) with independent component analysis. NeuroImage 2021, 237: 118167. PMID: 34000404, PMCID: PMC8452380, DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118167.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSynaptic densityResting-state functional magnetic resonance imagingSynaptic vesicle protein 2ALevel-dependent signal fluctuationsBrain networksFunctional magnetic resonance imagingMagnetic resonance imagingAge-related changesHealthy controlsResonance imagingRs-fMRIEffects of sexProtein 2AMultiple comparisonsHuman brainAgePotential utilitySexFirst evidenceCovariance patternsMacro- and Microscale Stress–Associated Alterations in Brain Structure: Translational Link With Depression
Banasr M, Sanacora G, Esterlis I. Macro- and Microscale Stress–Associated Alterations in Brain Structure: Translational Link With Depression. Biological Psychiatry 2021, 90: 118-127. PMID: 34001371, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.04.004.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMajor depressive disorderStress-related disordersCytoarchitectural alterationsPathophysiology of MDDChronic stress pathologyDepressive-like behaviorChronic stress modelAnimal stress modelsPositron emission tomographyHuman brain tissueAstroglial alterationsSynaptic deficitsNeurochemical changesDepressive disorderBehavioral deficitsRodent modelsBrain tissueEmission tomographyDepression symptomatologyLiving brainBrain structuresNovel drugsTranslational linkStress pathologyDisordersPET 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
Longitudinal imaging of metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors during early and extended alcohol abstinence
Hillmer AT, Angarita GA, Esterlis I, Anderson JM, Nabulsi N, Lim K, Ropchan J, Carson RE, Krystal JH, Malley S, Cosgrove KP. Longitudinal imaging of metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors during early and extended alcohol abstinence. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020, 46: 380-385. PMID: 32919411, PMCID: PMC7852514, DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00856-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMetabotropic glutamate 5 receptorsSmoking statusAlcohol abstinenceEarly abstinenceMGlu5 receptor negative allosteric modulatorReceptor negative allosteric modulatorChronic alcohol useCortical brain regionsAlcohol use disorderEmission Tomography ImagingPositron emission tomography (PET) imagingNegative allosteric modulatorsDSM-5 criteriaCue-induced reinstatementHealthy controlsPreclinical literatureGlutamate systemPreclinical modelsHuman evidenceReceptor drugsPET scansUse disordersHuman studiesReceptor availabilityStudy durationPTSD is associated with neuroimmune suppression: evidence from PET imaging and postmortem transcriptomic studies
Bhatt S, Hillmer AT, Girgenti MJ, Rusowicz A, Kapinos M, Nabulsi N, Huang Y, Matuskey D, Angarita GA, Esterlis I, Davis MT, Southwick SM, Friedman MJ, Duman R, Carson R, Krystal J, Pietrzak R, Cosgrove K. PTSD is associated with neuroimmune suppression: evidence from PET imaging and postmortem transcriptomic studies. Nature Communications 2020, 11: 2360. PMID: 32398677, PMCID: PMC7217830, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15930-5.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAcetamidesAdaptor Proteins, Signal TransducingAdultBrainCase-Control StudiesFemaleGene Expression ProfilingHealthy VolunteersHumansMaleMicrogliaMiddle AgedPositron-Emission TomographyPyridinesRadiopharmaceuticalsReceptors, GABAReceptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Member 14Sex FactorsStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticYoung AdultConceptsPosttraumatic stress disorderPeripheral immune activationImmune activationHigher C-reactive protein levelsC-reactive protein levelsTSPO availabilityTranslocator proteinBrain microglial activationTomography brain imagingStress-related pathophysiologyPositron emission tomography (PET) brain imagingNeuroimmune activationMicroglial activationPTSD symptom severityImmunologic regulationPostmortem studiesPTSD subgroupHealthy individualsSymptom severityTrauma exposurePTSD groupStress disorderLower relative expressionBrain imagingPET imaging
2014
In Vivo Ketamine-Induced Changes in [11C]ABP688 Binding to Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Subtype 5
DeLorenzo C, DellaGioia N, Bloch M, Sanacora G, Nabulsi N, Abdallah C, Yang J, Wen R, Mann JJ, Krystal JH, Parsey RV, Carson RE, Esterlis I. In Vivo Ketamine-Induced Changes in [11C]ABP688 Binding to Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Subtype 5. Biological Psychiatry 2014, 77: 266-275. PMID: 25156701, PMCID: PMC4277907, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.06.024.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSubtype 5Ketamine administrationPET scansMetabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5Prefrontal cortexAspartate glutamate receptor antagonistIntravenous ketamine administrationKetamine-induced effectsPositron emission tomography (PET) ligandGlutamate receptor antagonistsVolume of distributionMedial prefrontal cortexNegative allosteric modulatorsKetamine initiationGlutamate releaseDorsal putamenKetamine responseSubanesthetic dosesOrbital prefrontal cortexReceptor antagonistAcute effectsBolus injectionDorsal caudateArterial bloodScan 1
2013
In Vivo Evidence for β2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunit Upregulation in Smokers as Compared With Nonsmokers With Schizophrenia
Esterlis I, Ranganathan M, Bois F, Pittman B, Picciotto MR, Shearer L, Anticevic A, Carlson J, Niciu MJ, Cosgrove KP, D’Souza D. In Vivo Evidence for β2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunit Upregulation in Smokers as Compared With Nonsmokers With Schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry 2013, 76: 495-502. PMID: 24360979, PMCID: PMC4019710, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.11.001.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLower β2Negative symptomsCortical regionsLower receptor availabilitySelf-medicate symptomsComparison groupLower negative symptomsHigh β2Executive controlExecutive functionNicotine cravingSex-matched comparison subjectsMood assessmentBrain regionsWorse performanceComparison subjectsDiagnosis interactionLimited brain regionsNicotinic acetylcholine receptorsSchizophreniaSingle photon emissionNAChR availabilityActive smokingTobacco smokingPoor outcome