Neurodegenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), Fronto-Temporal Dementia (FTD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) as well as the various forms of parkinsonian plus syndromes (Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)) have become an increasing public health concern. Therapies are mostly symptomatic and ineffective in ameliorating the course of the disease. Neuroimaging offers sophisticated approaches to study molecular pathways in vivo throughout various disease stages. PET hereby provides insights into regional synaptic characteristics with an up to nanomolar sensitivity encompassing characteristics such as presynaptic storage, reuptake and specific binding to pre- and postsynaptic receptor-subtypes.
The current concept proposes to collect state-of-the-art "snapshots" of different synaptic profiles (Acetylcholinesterase, Adenosine, Benzodiazepine, Dopamine, noradre naline, acetylcholin, dopaminergic etc.) at various stages of degenerative brain diseases from expert laboratories using in vivo positron emission tomography (PET) of the brain. The final goal of this project is to synthesize a systemic view of synaptic characteristics of a given degenerative disease at various disease stages including the potential interaction between neurotransmitter systems. Apart from a better understanding of pathophysiology (I) this approach will result in a more differentiated disease sub-phenotyping (II) and disease-stage-dependent synaptic profile (III). In other words: the hypothesis is that each of the above-mentioned degenerative brain diseases discloses a specific and stage-dependent neuroreceptor profile, both in space and time.
The current Research Topic intends to collect "snapshots" of synaptic whole brain profiles at various stages of a specific degenerative brain disease from expert laboratories using PET. The disease entities encompass Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), Fronto-Temporal Dementia (FTD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) as well as the various forms of parkinsonian plus syndromes (Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)). Data should be acquired at least at two different stages (early, late) or preferably at three different stages (early, middle, late) of the disease. Manuscripts should preferably describe original PET data from the authors lab/clinic. Alternatively, manuscripts would provide an actual review. In summary, manuscripts should focus on a single neurotransmitter system in a specific neurodegenerative disease at two or preferably three different stages.
Neurodegenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), Fronto-Temporal Dementia (FTD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) as well as the various forms of parkinsonian plus syndromes (Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)) have become an increasing public health concern. Therapies are mostly symptomatic and ineffective in ameliorating the course of the disease. Neuroimaging offers sophisticated approaches to study molecular pathways in vivo throughout various disease stages. PET hereby provides insights into regional synaptic characteristics with an up to nanomolar sensitivity encompassing characteristics such as presynaptic storage, reuptake and specific binding to pre- and postsynaptic receptor-subtypes.
The current concept proposes to collect state-of-the-art "snapshots" of different synaptic profiles (Acetylcholinesterase, Adenosine, Benzodiazepine, Dopamine, noradre naline, acetylcholin, dopaminergic etc.) at various stages of degenerative brain diseases from expert laboratories using in vivo positron emission tomography (PET) of the brain. The final goal of this project is to synthesize a systemic view of synaptic characteristics of a given degenerative disease at various disease stages including the potential interaction between neurotransmitter systems. Apart from a better understanding of pathophysiology (I) this approach will result in a more differentiated disease sub-phenotyping (II) and disease-stage-dependent synaptic profile (III). In other words: the hypothesis is that each of the above-mentioned degenerative brain diseases discloses a specific and stage-dependent neuroreceptor profile, both in space and time.
The current Research Topic intends to collect "snapshots" of synaptic whole brain profiles at various stages of a specific degenerative brain disease from expert laboratories using PET. The disease entities encompass Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), Fronto-Temporal Dementia (FTD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) as well as the various forms of parkinsonian plus syndromes (Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)). Data should be acquired at least at two different stages (early, late) or preferably at three different stages (early, middle, late) of the disease. Manuscripts should preferably describe original PET data from the authors lab/clinic. Alternatively, manuscripts would provide an actual review. In summary, manuscripts should focus on a single neurotransmitter system in a specific neurodegenerative disease at two or preferably three different stages.