A new imaging agent for positron emission tomography, or PET, scans could help assess and treat people with various neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and multiple sclerosis, according to new research. Researchers in Switzerland and Germany found the drug agent targets receptors in nerve cells in the brain linked to learning and memory. The study was published Monday in the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Medicine's The Journal of Nuclear Medicine .
Using live rats, scientists developed the radioligand, 11C‐Me‐NB1 , for imaging containing N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, which are a class of glutamate receptors in nerve cells. When NMDA receptors are activated, calcium increases in the cells -- and they can cause cell death when too high. Medications are used to block NMDA receptors for the treatment of a wide range of neurological conditions,…
