Development of in vivo molecular imaging system to analyze microglial behavior in the brain, and its application for early diagnosis of schizophrenia

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H04273
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Neurochemistry/Neuropharmacology
• Research Institution: Hamamatsu University School of Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Sato Kohji 浜松医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (80235340)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 植木 孝俊 名古屋市立大学, 大学院医学研究科, 教授 (60317328) ; 森 則夫 浜松医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (00174376)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 統合失調症

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The investigators previously found microglia is aberrantly activated in the brain of schizophrenic patients by positron emission tomography. In the present study the investigators aim at exploring the neuropathology underlying microglial activation in the brain in the early stage of onset of schizophrenia, and development of in vivo MRI system to visualize behavior of microglia. Here, based on the observation that processing of fractalkine in the adjacent neuronal axon triggers microglial activation via its membranous CRXCR3 receptor, the pathophysiology of the activation of metabolic enzyme of neuronal fractalkine was explored and also MRI switching molecular probe to visualize the enzymatic activity was developed.

Free Research Field

精神医学