microPET
Through close and longstanding collaboration with the Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center at Aarhus University Hospital, we are conducting radioligand binding studies.
The equipment can be found at the PET Preclinical Facility at Aarhus University Hospital
Why we use it
• Allows for non-invasive in vivo imaging of rodent models
• Integrates high-resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET) (0.7mm) with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) (1 Tesla), providing comprehensive anatomical and functional imaging for preclinical research
• Use of short-lived PET ligands, labeled with 11C or 18F by dedicated radiochemists using on-site cyclotrons, designed to target and visualise specific molecular processes
• The same ligands can be used in human imaging, underscoring the method’s translational value
Equipment
• Mediso Nanoscan PET/MRI scanner for small laboratory animals
• https://mediso.com/hungary/en/product/pre-clinical-products/nanoscanr-petmri-3t-and-7t (please note, we have the 1T MRI version)
• Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center at Aarhus University Hospital
Applications in Translational Neuroimaging
• In vivo assessment of monoamine neurotransmission, protein aggregation, neuroinflammation, presynaptic density, glucose metabolism, and more
• Longitudinal studies to examine disease progression and the acute and chronic effects of potential therapies
• Drug challenge studies to investigate neurotransmitter release
• Trials of novel PET ligands developed by PET Center radiochemists
Selected References
1: Binda KH, Real CC, Simonsen MT, Grove EK, Bender D, Gjedde A, Brooks DJ, Landau AM. Acute transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation modulates presynaptic SV2A density in healthy rat brain: An in vivo microPET study. Psychophysiology. 2025 Jan;62(1):e14709. doi: 10.1111/psyp.14709.
2: Thomsen MB, Jacobsen J, Lillethorup TP, Schacht AC, Simonsen M, Romero-Ramos M, Brooks DJ, Landau AM. In vivo imaging of synaptic SV2A protein density in healthy and striatal-lesioned rats with [11C]UCB-J PET. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2021 Apr;41(4):819-830. doi: 10.1177/0271678X20931140.
3: Thomsen MB, Ferreira SA, Schacht AC, Jacobsen J, Simonsen M, Betzer C, Jensen PH, Brooks DJ, Landau AM, Romero-Ramos M. PET imaging reveals early and progressive dopaminergic deficits after intra-striatal injection of preformed alpha-synuclein fibrils in rats. Neurobiol Dis. 2021 Feb;149:105229. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.105229.
4: Vibholm AK, Landau AM, Møller A, Jacobsen J, Vang K, Munk OL, Orlowski D, Sørensen JC, Brooks DJ. NMDA receptor ion channel activation detected in vivo with [18F]GE-179 PET after electrical stimulation of rat hippocampus. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2021 Jun;41(6):1301-1312. doi: 10.1177/0271678X20954928.
5: Thomsen MB, Lillethorup TP, Jakobsen S, Nielsen EH, Simonsen M, Wegener G, Landau AM, Tasker RA. Neonatal domoic acid alters in vivo binding of [11C]yohimbine to α2-adrenoceptors in adult rat brain. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2016 Oct;233(21-22):3779-3785. doi: 10.1007/s00213-016-4416-5.
6: Landau AM, Phan JA, Iversen P, Lillethorup TP, Simonsen M, Wegener G, Jakobsen S, Doudet DJ. Decreased in vivo α2 adrenoceptor binding in the Flinders Sensitive Line rat model of depression. Neuropharmacology. 2015 Apr;91:97-102. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.12.025.
