Imaging glial activation in patients with post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms: a pilot study using [11C]DPA-713 PET

Jennifer M Coughlin; Ting Yang; Alison W Rebman; Kathleen T Bechtold; Yong Du; William B Mathews; Wojciech G Lesniak; Erica A Mihm; Sarah M Frey; Erica S Marshall; Hailey B Rosenthal; Tristan A Reekie; Michael Kassiou; Robert F Dannals; Mark J Soloski; John N Aucott; Martin G Pomper

doi:10.1186/s12974-018-1381-4

Imaging glial activation in patients with post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms: a pilot study using [¹¹C]DPA-713 PET

J Neuroinflammation. 2018 Dec 19;15(1):346. doi: 10.1186/s12974-018-1381-4.

Authors

Jennifer M Coughlin^{1

2}, Ting Yang³, Alison W Rebman³, Kathleen T Bechtold⁴, Yong Du², William B Mathews², Wojciech G Lesniak², Erica A Mihm³, Sarah M Frey², Erica S Marshall², Hailey B Rosenthal², Tristan A Reekie⁵, Michael Kassiou⁵, Robert F Dannals², Mark J Soloski³, John N Aucott^{6

7}, Martin G Pomper^{8

9

10}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
² Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
³ Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁴ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁵ School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
⁶ Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. jaucott2@jhmi.edu.
⁷ , Lutherville, USA. jaucott2@jhmi.edu.
⁸ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. mpomper@jhmi.edu.
⁹ Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. mpomper@jhmi.edu.
¹⁰ , Baltimore, USA. mpomper@jhmi.edu.

Abstract

The pathophysiology of post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) may be linked to overactive immunity including aberrant activity of the brain's resident immune cells, microglia. Here we used [¹¹C]DPA-713 and positron emission tomography to quantify the 18 kDa translocator protein, a marker of activated microglia or reactive astrocytes, in the brains of patients with post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms of any duration compared to healthy controls. Genotyping for the TSPO rs6971 polymorphism was completed, and individuals with the rare, low affinity binding genotype were excluded. Data from eight brain regions demonstrated higher [¹¹C]DPA-713 binding in 12 patients relative to 19 controls. [¹¹C]DPA-713 PET is a promising tool to study cerebral glial activation in PTLDS and its link to cognitive symptoms.

Keywords: Microglia; Neuroimaging; Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome; [11C]DPA-713.

MeSH terms

Acetamides / pharmacokinetics*
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / genetics
Brain / diagnostic imaging*
Brain / drug effects
Carbon Radioisotopes / pharmacokinetics
Cognition Disorders / diagnostic imaging
Cognition Disorders / etiology
Female
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Lyme Neuroborreliosis / diagnostic imaging*
Lyme Neuroborreliosis / genetics
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Membrane Proteins / genetics
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
Pilot Projects
Polymorphism, Genetic / genetics
Positron-Emission Tomography*
Pyrazoles / pharmacokinetics*
Pyrimidines / pharmacokinetics*
Severity of Illness Index
Young Adult

Substances

Acetamides
Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins
Carbon Radioisotopes
Carbon-11
FCMR protein, human
Membrane Proteins
N,N-diethyl-2-(2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-5,7-dimethyl-pyrazolo(1,5-a)pyrimidin-3-yl)-acetamide
Pyrazoles
Pyrimidines

Abstract

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding