The application of targeted translocator protein positron tracers in neuroinflammation imaging

Neuroinflammation is a common pathological manifestation of many central nervous system diseases, and microglia are the first to respond to damage to the central nervous system. The relative molecular mass of 18 000 translocator protein (TSPO) is highly expressed in microglia at the onset of neuroinflammation, a property that makes it suitable for assessing the activation of microglia proliferation in the brain. Since the development of radioligands targeting TSPO, more than 60 radioligands targeting TSPO have been developed for the study of neuroinflammatory diseases in order to gain a better understanding of their pathological processes. The author reviews the use of targeted TSPO positron tracers for neuroinflammatory imaging.