PhD defence 29 June 2017 - Ali Khalidan Vibholm
Ali Khalidan Vibholm, MD, Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Centre, Aarhus University will defend his PhD thesis on
“Detection of activated NMDA receptor ion channels with [18F]GE-179 PET in patients with focal refractory epilepsy and in electrically stimulated animal models of epilepsy”
DATE: Thursday 29th June 2017
TIME: 14.00
PLACE: Patologisk Auditorium, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, bldg.18
TIME: 14.00
PLACE: Patologisk Auditorium, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, bldg.18
This new PhD project from Health, Aarhus University, shows that positron emission tomography (PET) using the radioligand [18F]GE-179 can detect foci with elevated NMDA receptor activity in the living brain.
Epilepsy is a disease that can affect anyone from new-borns to the elderly and is characterised by an enduring predisposition to generate epileptic seizures, and by the neurobiologic, cognitive, psychological, and social consequences of this condition. Epilepsy is the most common neurological disease in the young affecting over 50 million people worldwide and accounting for approximately 1% of the worldwide disease burden. In Denmark, there are approximately 33.000 persons with epilepsy, and with annually about 4.000 new cases.
The PhD dissertation deals with imaging of elevated NMDAR ion channel activity in the living brain and describes how positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), neurophysiological techniques such as electroencephalogram (EEG) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) were used to demonstrate that the radioligand [18F]GE-179 can detect areas in the brain with elevated NMDAR-IC activity.
Rats had a thin electrode implanted into the ventral hippocampus and were stimulated with pulsed electrical stimulation. [18F]GE-179 PET visualised increased uptake in the area surrounding the stimulating electrode and found that [18F]GE-179 PET could detect focal brain areas with elevated NMDAR activity in-vivo.
Pigs were implanted with a DBS electrode into the ventral hippocampus. The pigs then had [18F]GE-179 PET first with DBS turned off and then again with DBS turned on. Blood flow was also measured with [15O]H2O PET. [18F]GE-179 PET detected globally increased brain NMDAR activity during DBS of the ventral hippocampal stimulation independent of blood flow.
In the human study, 10 patients with focal refractory epilepsy had interictal [18F]GE-179 PET scans with simultaneous EEG recording. 18 healthy controls were also scanned for comparison. [18F]GE-179 PET localised multiple focal areas of elevated NMDAR activity in the patients. No increased focal [18F]GE-179 uptake was seen in the healthy controls.
MAIN SUPERVISOR:
Prof. David Brooks, Dept. of Nuclear Med. & PET, Aarhus University
Prof. David Brooks, Dept. of Nuclear Med. & PET, Aarhus University
EXAMINERS:
Professor Asla Pitkänen, University of Eastern Finland
Professor Anne Sabers, University of Copenhagen
The defence is public and all are welcome.
Professor Anne Sabers, University of Copenhagen
The defence is public and all are welcome.
For more information, please contact MD PhD student Ali K. Vibholm, e-mail: alikha@rm.dk