Inflammation in the brain and spinal cord has been shown to promote chronic pain. This is thought to be because inflammation sensitizes the nervous system to experience high levels of pain, even when the injury is minor. New treatments for inflammation are being explored as a means of treating chronic pain. There is a very cutting-edge laboratory at UAB that uses neuroimaging, pharmaceutical, and immunological techniques to better understand how inflammation affects our bodies and minds.
Ongoing Studies
MEASURING NEUROINFLAMMATION IN CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME WITH WHOLE-BRAIN MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY
(PI: Dr. Jarred Younger; R01NS109529)
This five-year project is actually comprised of three separate studies. Study #1 examines 90 women with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and 30 age- and body mass index-matched healthy controls. Neuroinflammatory markers will be assessed on a voxel-by-voxel basis throughout the entire brain, yielding approximately 4,000 assessments in gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid. It is hypothesized that the neuroinflammatory markers will be elevated in several brain regions in the ME/CFS group. Study #2 uses a “good-day, bad-day” longitudinal design to examine the correlation between neuroinflammatory markers and symptom severity fluctuations in 20 women with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It is hypothesized that the higher fatigue severity days will be associated with higher levels of neuroinflammatory markers. In Study #3, we will validate the MRSI scan with positron emission tomography (PET) analysis of 18F-DPA-714, a marker of activated microglia. We expect to see spatial overlap in MRSI and PET indicators of neuroinflammation.
Assessment of neuroinflammation in central inflammatory disorders using [18F]DPA-714
(PI: Dr. Jarred Younger; AFSA)
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder that affects approximately 6 million individuals in the United States. The pathophysiology of fibromyalgia is not well understood, but is suspected to involve aberrant signaling in the central nervous system. The goal of this study is to determine if pain and fatigue patients have higher levels of neuroinflammation than healthy individuals as measured with [18F]DPA-714 positron emission tomography (PET). This study will measure the concentration and the regional brain distribution of activated brain microglia in individuals with chronic pain and fatigue to assess neuroinflammation.
Assessing Neuroinflammation in Gulf War Illness with Whole-Brain Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
(PI: Dr. Jarred Younger; GWI180071)
Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic and multisymptomatic disorder affecting military veterans of the Persian Gulf War. Many of the symptoms associated with GWI, such as fatigue, chronic pain, sleep disturbances, and cognitive dysfunction, overlap heavily with classic cytokine-induced sickness responses. The primary goal of this study is to determine if neuroinflammation is a pathophysiological feature of GWI. The non-invasive magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) technique to quantify several markers of brain inflammation in GWI individuals and healthy controls.
Tracking Peripheral Immune Cell Infiltration of the Brain in Central Inflammatory Disorders Using [Zr-89]Oxinate-4-labeled Leukocytes
(PI: Dr. Jarred Younger; MERUK)
Central inflammatory disorders are characterized by compromised blood brain barrier (BBB) integrity which allows for the migration of leukocytes into the brain. Once in the brain, these leukocytes initiate a cascade of proinflammatory processes that cause additional damage to the brain tissue and vasculature. The presence of peripheral immune cells in the brain is a clear signal of abnormal immune processes. The primary objective of this study is to develop a scan that can track this abnormal immune cell infiltration in human patients. Extracted leukocytes with be labeled with [89Zr]Oxine, and reinjected into the participants. Several days later, the brain will be scanned with positron emission tomography (PET) to see if the labelled cells infiltrated the brain. Individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), multiple sclerosis (MS), and healthy controls will be tested.