Cocaine abuse in humans is not associated with increased microglial activation: an 18-kDa translocator protein positron emission tomography imaging study with [11C]PBR28.

ABSTRACT: Basic science investigations have consistently shown that repeated exposure to psychostimulant drugs, such as cocaine, activate the immune response and lead to inflammatory changes in the brain. No previous in vivo studies have confirmed this observation in chronic cocaine-abusing humans. To test this hypothesis, we used positron emission tomography imaging to measure the binding of [(11)C]PBR28 to the 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO), a marker for microglial activation in a group of 15 recently abstinent cocaine abusers and 17 matched healthy controls. [(11)C]PBR28 volumes of distribution expressed relative to total plasma ligand concentration (VT) were measured in subjects with kinetic analysis using the arterial input function. Subjects were also genotyped for the TSPO alanine147 thre

SUBMITTER: Narendran R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4107410 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature