In vivo quantification of myelin changes in the vertebrate nervous system

J Neurosci. 2009 Nov 18;29(46):14663-9. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4082-08.2009.

Abstract

Destruction or changes associated with myelin membranes in the CNS play a key role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and other related neurodegenerative disorders. A long-standing goal has been to detect and quantify myelin content in vivo. For this reason, we have developed a myelin-imaging technique based on positron emission tomography (PET). PET is a quantitative imaging modality that has been widely used in clinical settings for direct assessment of biological processes at the molecular level. However, lack of myelin-imaging probes has hampered the use of PET for imaging of myelination in the CNS. Here, we report a myelin-imaging agent, termed Case Imaging Compound (CIC) that readily penetrates the blood-brain barrier and preferentially localizes to myelinated regions of the brain. After radiolabeling with positron-emitting carbon-11, [(11)C]CIC-PET was conducted in longitudinal studies using a lysolethicin-induced rat model of focal demyelination and subsequent remyelination. Quantitative analysis showed that the retention of [(11)C]CIC correlates with the level of demyelination/remyelination. These studies indicate that, for the first time, [(11)C]CIC-PET can be used as an imaging marker of myelination, which has the potential to be translated into clinical studies in multiple sclerosis and other myelin-related diseases for early diagnosis, subtyping, and efficacy evaluation of therapeutic treatments aimed at myelin repair.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Central Nervous System / chemistry*
  • Central Nervous System / diagnostic imaging
  • Central Nervous System / physiology*
  • Corpus Callosum / diagnostic imaging
  • Corpus Callosum / physiology
  • Demyelinating Diseases / metabolism
  • Demyelinating Diseases / prevention & control
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Female
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Mice
  • Models, Neurological
  • Myelin Sheath / chemistry*
  • Myelin Sheath / diagnostic imaging
  • Myelin Sheath / physiology*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography* / standards
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Reproducibility of Results