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REVIEW article

Front. Neurol.

Sec. Dementia and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1637243

This article is part of the Research TopicExploring Neurodegenerative Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury: Mechanistic InsightsView all articles

From Imaging to Intervention: Emerging Potential of PET Biomarkers to Shape Therapeutic Strategies for TBI-Induced Neurodegeneration

Provisionally accepted
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

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: TBI - Traumatic Brain Injury, PET/CT, PET/MRI, neurodegeneration, concussion, Brain Injury, Neurotheranostics, Precision Medicine

Received: 29 May 2025; Accepted: 18 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Giarratana. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Anna O. Giarratana, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States

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