Synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) levels in the cerebral cortex in patients with Alzheimer's disease: a radioligand binding study in postmortem brains.

Histological and biochemical analyses in postmortem tissues have demonstrated neurodegenerative changes in the cerebral cortex in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and it has been suggested that this represents a loss of synapses. PET imaging of the (pre)synaptic vesicular glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) has demonstrated a reduction in synapse density in AD in the hippocampus but not consistently in the neocortex. This investigation examines the level of [H]UCB-J binding in postmortem cortical tissue from patients with AD and matched healthy controls using autoradiography.

Characterization of the Novel P2X7 Receptor Radioligand [H]JNJ-64413739 in Human Brain Tissue.

Radioligands targeting microglia cells have been developed to identify and determine neuroinflammation in the living brain. One recently discovered ligand is JNJ-64413739 that binds selectively to the purinergic receptor P2X7R. The expression of P2X7R is increased under inflammation; hence, the ligand is considered useful in the detection of neuroinflammation in the brain.