In vivo molecular imaging of the GABA/benzodiazepine receptor complex in the aged rat brain

Abstract The GABA-ergic system, known to regulate neural tissue genesis during cortical development, has been postulated to play a role in cerebral aging processes. Using in vivo molecular imaging and voxel-wise quantification, we aimed to assess the effects of aging on the benzodiazepine (BDZ) reco...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neurobiology of aging 2012-07, Vol.33 (7), p.1457-1465
Main Authors: Hoekzema, Elseline, Rojas, Santiago, Herance, Raúl, Pareto, Deborah, Abad, Sergio, Jiménez, Xavier, Figueiras, Francisca P, Popota, Foteini, Ruiz, Alba, Flotats, Núria, Fernández, Francisco J, Rocha, Milagros, Rovira, Mariana, Víctor, Víctor M, Gispert, Juan D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Aging - metabolism
Aging - pathology
Animals
Benzodiazepine
Benzodiazepine receptors
Brain
Brain - metabolism
Brain - pathology
Brain - physiopathology
Cerebellum
Cortex
Cortex (frontal)
Cortex (occipital)
Cortex (parietal)
Data processing
Development
Flumazenil
GABA
gamma -Aminobutyric acid
gamma -Aminobutyric acid A receptors
Hippocampus
Image processing
Internal Medicine
Male
Mesencephalon
Molecular imaging
Molecular Imaging - methods
Nervous system
Neuroimaging
Neurology
Positron emission tomography (PET)
Protein Binding - physiology
Radioisotopes
Rats
Receptors, GABA-A - metabolism
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Summary:Abstract The GABA-ergic system, known to regulate neural tissue genesis during cortical development, has been postulated to play a role in cerebral aging processes. Using in vivo molecular imaging and voxel-wise quantification, we aimed to assess the effects of aging on the benzodiazepine (BDZ) recognition site of the GABAA receptor. To visualize BDZ site availability, [11 C]-flumazenil microPET acquisitions were conducted in young and old rats. The data were analyzed and region of interest analyses were applied to validate the voxel-wise approach. We observed decreased [11 C]-flumazenil binding in the aged rat brains in comparison with the young control group. More specifically, clusters of reduced radioligand uptake were detected in the bilateral hippocampus, cerebellum, midbrain, and bilateral frontal and parieto-occipital cortex. Our results support the pertinence of voxel-wise quantification in the analysis of microPET data. Moreover, these findings indicate that the aging process involves declines in neural BDZ recognition site availability, proposed to reflect alterations in GABAA receptor subunit polypeptide expression.
ISSN:0197-4580
1558-1497
DOI:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2010.12.006