Tseng Chieh-En Jane, Guma Elisa, McDougle Christopher J, Hooker Jacob M, Zürcher Nicole R
Massachusetts General Hospital, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging Charlestown MA USA; Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA.
Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA; Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital Lexington MA USA.
Brain Behav Immun. 2025 May;126:70-79. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2025.02.002. Epub 2025 Feb 2.
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 [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). [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 [C]PBR28 uptake in total or regional skull areas and autism symptom severity. C-reactive protein levels were positively associated with [C]PBR28 uptake in the total skull across participants. Lastly, [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.
免疫过程已被认为与自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的病理生理学有关。脑边界，如颅骨，最近被强调为神经免疫相互作用发生的部位，对脑免疫有关键影响。转运蛋白（TSPO）是一种参与免疫功能的线粒体蛋白，在38名自闭症成年人（26名男性，12名女性）和29名年龄及性别匹配的健康对照者（19名男性，10名女性）中，使用[C]PBR28正电子发射断层扫描-磁共振成像（PET-MRI）在颅骨中测量了该蛋白。相对于使用标准化摄取值比率（SUVR）评估的伪参考区域，[C]PBR28摄取显示自闭症成年人额叶和颞叶颅骨中的TSPO升高。我们没有观察到整个或局部颅骨区域的[C]PBR28摄取与自闭症症状严重程度之间存在关联。在所有参与者中，C反应蛋白水平与整个颅骨的[C]PBR28摄取呈正相关。最后，整个颅骨的[C]PBR28摄取在4个月期间保持稳定。这项研究表明自闭症成年人颅骨中TSPO的区域升高，这可能表明存在免疫参与。
