The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science

Zsolt Szabo, MD, PhD

Research

The focus of my research group is application of positron emission  tomography (PET) in studies of central and peripheral molecular recognition sites including the serotonin transporter, histamine receptor, dopamine transporter, angiotensin receptor and farnesyl transferase.

 

PET Image of the myocardial endothelin A Receptor. Ligand accumulation is high in the myocardium and the skeletal muscles.

 

Our group was the first to image the serotonin transporter in the human brain and ro apply pattern recognition, artificial neural networks and deconvolution analysis in tracer kinetic modeling. Some of our recent projects focus on:

The role of the central serotonin transporter in alcoholism, Parkinson’s disease and brain injury.

The role of the endothelin A receptor in cancer.

The role of the Angiotensin II/subtype AT1 receptor in myocardial remodeling and renovascular hypertension.

 

PET Images of the serotonin transporter obtained with C-11 DASB and C-11 MCN in a healthy control subject. Both radioligands show intense uptake in brain structures rich in the serotonin transporter.