Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Translocator protein (TSPO) positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) in neuropsychiatric lupus: neuroinflammatory metabolic signatures and diagnostic biomarkers
Authors' conclusion
Patients with NPSLE and non-NPSLE showed distinct TSPO uptake in brain lesions, indicating different pathophysiology.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with SLE (Neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE) and non-NPSLE) who underwent TSPO [18F] DPA-714 PET/MRI
- Participants
- 19 vs 10
- Exposure
- NPSLE vs non-NPSLE
- NPSLEn = 19
- non-NPSLEn = 10reference
- Outcome
- SUVmax and SUVmean of T2-weighted MRI brain lesions
Methodological details[18F] DPA-714 PET/MRI, logistic regression, ROC analysis
- [18F] DPA-714 PET/MRI
- Logistic regression
- ROC analysis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Lesion TSPO uptake (SUVmax, SUVmean)
- NPSLE vs non-NPSLE: P < 0.01
- NPSLE vs non-NPSLE: P > 0.05
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Correlation of SUVmax with clinical scores
- Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) (p=0.02)
- r=0.43
- Modified Rankin Scale (p=0.04)
- r=0.41
- SLEDAI (p=0.03)
- r=0.41
- SUVmean: no significant correlation
Diagnostic performance for NPSLE vs non-NPSLE
- Logistic regression: only SUVmax-alone model significant
- P = 0.01
- AUC SUVmax
- 0.83
- AUC SUVmean
- 0.68
- AUC Model 4 (SUVmax+SUVmean + Interaction), best
- 0.94
Original publication
TSPO PET/MR in neuropsychiatric lupus: neuroinflammatory metabolic signatures and diagnostic biomarkers. Lupus Sci Med. Published 16 September 2025. doi:10.
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