Evaluation of Synaptic Density in Patients with Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: a [¹¹C]UCB-J PET Study

Assessing synaptic density loss in progressive multiple sclerosis using SV2A PET imaging.

Authors: Antonio Scalfari, Alexander Whittington, Frans van den Berg, Charlie McKechnie, David Erritzoe, Karleyton Evans, Paul Matthews and Eugenii A. Rabiner.

Synaptic loss is increasingly recognized as an important feature of neurodegenerative disease and may contribute to disability progression in multiple sclerosis. This study used the SV2A PET radioligand [¹¹C]UCB-J to compare synaptic density in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (proMS) and healthy volunteers while also evaluating longitudinal changes over approximately 16 months.

Researchers observed lower synaptic density throughout the brains of patients with progressive MS, with the greatest reductions identified in the thalamus and caudate. Although synaptic density remained relatively stable over the follow-up period, exploratory analyses suggested an association between reduced synaptic density and poorer functional performance, demonstrating the potential of SV2A PET as a translational biomarker for neurodegenerative disease research and therapeutic development.

Download this poster to learn:

• How SV2A PET imaging can quantify synaptic density in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis.
• Which brain regions demonstrated the greatest reductions in synaptic density compared with healthy controls.
• How molecular imaging biomarkers can help advance understanding of neurodegeneration and support CNS therapeutic development.

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