2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

PET study of brain tau deposition in traumatic brain injury using [11C]PBB3

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	16K19789
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Psychiatric science
Research Institution	National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology
Principal Investigator	Takahata Keisuke 国立研究開発法人量子科学技術研究開発機構, 放射線医学総合研究所脳機能イメージング研究部, 研究員(任常) (20645311)
Project Period (FY)	2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
Keywords	頭部外傷 / 慢性外傷性脳症 / CTE / タウPET / タウオパチー / 脳しんとう / 頭部外傷後精神病
Outline of Final Research Achievements	In the present study, we assessed fibrillary tau deposits in the brains of long-term survivors of TBI versus age-matched HC subjects using PET with [11C]PBB3. TBI patients showed increased [11C]PBB3 binding capacity in widespread brain regions compared to age-matched HC subjects. TBI patients with traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES) showed a higher [11C]PBB3 binding capacity in the WM segment than those without TES, especially in the frontal WM segment. Additional analysis showed that higher [11C]PBB3 binding capacity values were mainly due to increased radiosignals in the surface white matter. Interestingly, such a distribution of the tau tracer in the present study is unique to TBI, and distinct from that of AD. Moreover, [11C]PBB3 binding capacity in the WM segment was positively correlated with the severity of psychosis. These findings suggest a close link between tau neuropathology and late-onset neuropsychiatric symptoms following TBI.
Free Research Field	精神医学
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	本研究は、頭部外傷によって引き起こされる慢性外傷性脳症(CTE)などの遅発性症候の症候が引き起こされる機序を初めて明らかにしただけでなく、頭部外傷によるタウ病変のイメージングバイオマーカーとしてタウPETが有用であることを示した。これらの成果は、(1)将来的に実用化が期待されるタウに対する免疫抗体療法の治療効果判定法や新薬開発の評価指標としての活用や、(2)CTEの早期介入や治療導入を判定するための早期診断法としての活用に貢献することが期待される。また、コンタクトスポーツにおける頭部保護の重要性を広く認識させる上でも重要な成果である。