PET radiotracer captures inflammation in human brain

A new positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer can accurately visualize inflammation within the healthy human brain, a first-in-human study found. By using a marker that binds to COX-2, a key enzyme associated with brain inflammation or neuroinflammation, researchers were able to quantify low levels of this enzyme in healthy individuals.

Radiotracer May Improve Differential Diagnosis of Parkinson’s

An interdisciplinary team of researchers has developed a substance that may improve the differential diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease based on brain imaging — potentially allowing physicians to distinguish between patients who are sensitive to the side effects of parkinsonian medications and those who are not. Levodopa is one…