PET imaging of neuroinflammation as biomarker of post-traumatic epilepsy

Epilepsy is a brain disorder affecting 1% of population. Patients can acquire post-traumatic epilepsy from a traumatic brain injury after a latent period of months to years, providing a therapeutic window for preventative treatment. The underlying mechanisms for development of epilepsy (epileptogenesis) are not understood to be able to target preventive therapies. Moreover, there are no predictive biomarkers to identify subjects at risk to direct these therapies. Emerging evidences suggest inflammation to be a key factor in epileptogenesis and its potential to be a predictive biomarker for epilepsy. Using well-validated rat model of post-traumatic epilepsy, this project will test potential of measuring neuroinflammation for predicting epilepsy development by applying imaging techniques. This work will involve inducing fluid percussion induced brain injury to model traumatic injury in rats and follow this with serial PET and MRI imaging to measure inflammation. As a student, this project will provide great opportunity to be involved in learning/implementing imaging techniques in a clinically relevant epilepsy model.