Evaluation of [¹³N]ammonia positron emission tomography as a potential method for quantifying glutamine synthetase activity in the human brain.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

The conversion of synaptic glutamate to glutamine in astrocytes by glutamine synthetase (GS) is critical to maintaining healthy brain activity and may be disrupted in several brain disorders. As the GS catalysed conversion of glutamate to glutamine requires ammonia, we evaluated whether [¹³N]ammonia positron emission tomography (PET) could reliability quantify GS activity in humans.

Methods

In this test-retest study, eight healthy volunteers each received two dynamic [¹³N]ammonia PET scans on the morning and afternoon of the same day. Each [¹³N]ammonia scan was preceded by a [¹⁵O]water PET scan to account for effects of cerebral blood flow (CBF).

Results

Concentrations of radioactive metabolites in arterial blood wer

SUBMITTER: Egerton A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7714883 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature