Neuroinflammation in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease: Evidence from animal models to human in vivo studies with [C-11]-PKI1195 PET

Increasing evidence suggests that neuroinflammation is an active process in Parkinson's disease (PD) that contributes to ongoing neurodegeneration. PD brains and experimental PD models show elevated cytokine levels and upregulation of inflammatory-associated factors as cyclo-oxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide oxidase. Antiinflammatory treatment reduced neuronal degeneration in experimental models. In this review, we summarize the place of neuroinflammation in the pathophysiology of PD. In vivo PET studies are discussed. These methods provide a means to monitor in vivo potential clinical relevance of antiinflammatory treatment strategies in PD. (C) 2007 Movement Disorder Society