Regional skull translocator protein elevation in autistic adults detected by PET-MRI

Le résumé fourni par la source

• First in vivo assessment of TSPO in the skull performed in ASD with [ 11 C]PBR28 PET-MRI. • TSPO elevation observed in frontal and temporal skull in autistic adults. • TSPO in the skull is positively associated with peripheral C-reactive protein levels. • Longitudinal measurements showed stable TSPO levels over several months in the skull in ASD and CON. • Elevation of TSPO in the skull in ASD suggests implications of immune cells in the skull. Immune processes have been implicated in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Brain borders, such as the skull, have recently been highlighted as sites where neuro-immune interactions occur with key consequences for brain immunity. Translocator protein (TSPO), a mitochondrial protein involved in immune functions, was measured in the skull using [ 11 C]PBR28 positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance imaging (PET-MRI) in 38 autistic adults (26 males, 12 females) and 29 age-and sex-matched healthy controls (19 males, 10 females). [ 11 C]PBR28 uptake relative to a pseudo-reference region assessed using standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) revealed elevated TSPO in autistic adults in frontal and temporal skull. We did not observe an association between [ 11 C]PBR28 uptake in total or regional skull areas and autism symptom severity. C-reactive protein levels were positively associated with [ 11 C]PBR28 uptake in the total skull across participants. Lastly, [ 11 C]PBR28 uptake in the total skull was stable across a 4-month period. This work indicates regional TSPO elevations in the skull in autistic adults, which may suggest immune involvement.

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