Assessment of a novel neuroinflammation radiotracer in cerebral small vessel disease

Motivation: Cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) is a leading cause of vascular contributions to cognitive impairment & dementia ( VCID ). Understanding the relationship between neuroinflammation and cSVD using a novel radiotracer may enhance early diagnosis Goal(s): Investigate the specific binding of a PET radiotracer targeting the sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor S1PR1 and its correlation with white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden in cSVD Approach: Immunohistochemistry, Immunofluorescence, in vitro autoradiography (ARG), and blocking study using postmortem brain tissues to analyze S1PR1 expression and its association with WMH Results: Colocalization/correlation between S1PR1,astrocytes and microglia were observed. ARG revealed trend in white matter S1PR1 expression's association with WMH volumes Impact: Suggests a potential link between S1PR1 expression and neuroinflammation processes in cSVD and highlights the association with WMH burden. Provides preliminary evidence to support a new PET radiotracer targeting S1PR1 as an imaging biomarker to investigate neuroinflammation in cSVD