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Review
. 2025 Aug 5:16:1637243.
doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1637243. eCollection 2025.

From imaging to intervention: emerging potential of PET biomarkers to shape therapeutic strategies for TBI-induced neurodegeneration

Anna O Giarratana  1
Affiliations
Review

From imaging to intervention: emerging potential of PET biomarkers to shape therapeutic strategies for TBI-induced neurodegeneration

Anna O Giarratana. Front Neurol. .

Abstract

This review examines the role of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging tracers in advancing our understanding of traumatic brain injury (TBI) induced neurodegeneration and the therapeutic targets they help to identify. It focuses on tracers used to evaluate post-TBI alterations in metabolism, amyloid, tau, neuroinflammation, and neurotransmitter systems. These molecular imaging tools provide critical insights into pathophysiological processes such as disrupted glucose metabolism, amyloid deposition, tau accumulation, chronic neuroinflammatory responses, and neurotransmitter dysregulation. The review also explores how these tracers, as imaging biomarkers, may guide future therapeutic strategies. Finally, it discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating PET imaging into TBI diagnosis, longitudinal monitoring, and treatment planning.

Keywords: PET/CT; PET/MRI; brain injury; concussion; neurodegeneration; neurotheranostics; precision medicine; traumatic brain injury (TBI).

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PET imaging targets in TBI, highlighting six major pathophysiological processes under investigation for evaluation with molecular imaging.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Diagnostic PET tracers and their potential corresponding targeted therapeutics mapped across TBI pathophysiological pathways.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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