Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine
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Activation of adenosine A(1) receptors (A(1)R) in the brain causes sedation, reduces anxiety, inhibits seizures, and promotes neuroprotection. Cerebral A(1)R can be visualized using 8-dicyclopropylmethyl-1-(11)C-methyl-3-propyl-xanthine ((11)C-MPDX) and PET. This study aims to test whether (11)C-MPDX can be used for quantitative studies of cerebral A(1)R in rodents. ⋯ (11)C-MPDX shows a regional distribution in rat brain consistent with binding to A(1)R. Tracer binding is blocked by the selective A(1)R antagonist DPCPX. Pretreatment of animals with ethanol and adenosine kinase inhibitor increases (11)C-MPDX uptake. This increase may reflect an increased availability of A(1)R after acute exposure to ethanol.