The neuroreceptors and transporters underlying spontaneous brain activity

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 

At any moment, neuromodulators bind and unbind from neurons, driving brain activity through neuroreceptors and transporters. How the coordination of neuromodulators drives brain activity is nontrivial to quantify. Traditional in vivo methods, such as fluorescent probes (Marvin et al., 2013), microdialysis (Watson et al., 2006), and electrochemistry (Bucher & Wightman, 2015), provide limited insight, measuring only a few neuromodulators or brain regions at a time. The invasive nature of these methods further limits their application in humans, highlighting the need for a non-invasive approach.

Neuroreceptor density, crucial in mediating neuromodulator effects, can be estimated non-invasively using PET imaging. Neuroreceptor maps have been linked to brain-wide communication measured by the BOLD signal, suggesting that combining PET-derived neuroreceptor maps with BOLD signals could uncover how neuromodulators drive human brain activity and elucidate mechanisms of cognition and behavior (Salvan et al., 2023).