Mapping neuroinflammation in Parkinson's brain with novel imaging biomarkers

This study is the first to provide a complete snapshot of reactive astrogliosis at the advanced/end stages of PD and demonstrate a much-pronounced role of astrocytic ICAM1 in PD pathogenesis. Our ongoing mechanistic and translational studies with microglial tracers/markers will shed more light on the interplay between astrocyte-microglia activation in PD pathogenesis and further elucidate the unexplored intermediary role of ICAM1 in PD astrocyte reactivity and subsequent microglial neuroinflammatory response.