The Relationship Between Neuropsychological Testing and MRI, PET and COBRE - Project 1: AIM 2 (GE-180)

The complex pathological cascades leading to both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) involve, at various points, inflammation. Since inflammation is a treatable symptom, understanding how and when it impacts the brain, and where specifically in the brain, would offer important guidance in the development of new treatments, sorely needed in both diseases. Microglia play an important anti-inflammatory role, and produce a substance, mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO), whose presence can be used as a marker of regional inflammation. GE180 is a newly developed PET ligand which binds to TSPO and hence can be used in imaging studies to analyze regional inflammation in living patients. In prior studies it has shown regional specificity in multiple sclerosis and brain injury. In the current study, the investigators will be using GE180 to analyze regional and global inflammation in the brains of patients with AD and PD at a single time point. The results of the current study will provide enriched understanding of inflammation in these conditions, and potentially provide preliminary data to inform design of future interventional trials.