Release date: 2016-07-22 Source: Noble ZHEJIANG SHENDASIAO MEDICAL INSTRUMENT CO.,LTD. , https://www.sdsmedtools.com
Yale University-led research team members have discovered a new way to scan for changes in synapses in the brain that are closely related to common brain diseases. This technology may provide better support for the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, including the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease.
The study was published in the July 20 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
As a point of connection between brain nerve cells, changes in certain synapses are closely related to the onset of brain diseases. But researchers can only detect changes in synapses during autopsy. In their research, the research team set out to establish a method for measuring the number of synapses or synaptic density in a living brain.
To quantify the synapses throughout the brain, Professor Richard Carson and his collaborators in radiology and biomedical imaging combine PET scanning technology with biochemical theories. They developed a radiotracer that, when injected into the body, binds to a key protein that is present in all current brain synapses. They observed the use of PET imaging tracers and then applied mathematical tools to quantify synaptic density.
Researchers have applied this imaging technique to sputum and humans. They confirmed that the new method can be used as a marker of synaptic density. It also found that there were loss of brain synapses in three patients with epilepsy compared with healthy individuals.
As a senior researcher, Richard Carson said: "So far, any measurement of synaptic density has been done after death, which is the first time we have measured synaptic density in human living brains."
There are many potential applications for this discovery. Through this non-invasive approach, researchers may be able to track the development of many brain diseases, including epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease, by measuring changes in synaptic density. Another application may be evaluating how drugs can slow down neuronal losses. "This technology can be used to track the evolution of synaptic density and normal aging, and to track how drugs alter synapse or synapse formation."
Carson and his colleagues plan to use PET synaptic imaging technology to study epilepsy and other brain diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, depression, and Parkinson's disease. At the same time, he stressed: "There are many diseases caused by neurodegeneration."
Http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-07-scientists-imaging-tool-common-brain.html