Translocator protein
ProteinWikipedia
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14
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Search complete. 50 mentions across 14 episodes found for "Translocator protein".
Sep 4, 2026
The Melanie Avalon Biohacking Podcast
Sep 4 · 3 Mentions
Top 40%David PerlmutterGUEST
And I talk about it in the book.
David PerlmutterGUEST
There's a type of PET scan called a TSPO scan.
David PerlmutterGUEST
And this TSPO is a protein seen in the M1 destructive microglial cell and not represented on the cell surface of the supportive microglial cell.
David PerlmutterGUEST
We can image it now because there are tagged binders to the protein that will bind the protein and then it'll light up on the PET scan showing that this is a brain that's got a lot of activation of the microglial cells to M1 being destructive.
David PerlmutterGUEST
And then you ask the question, well, Where and in what clinical situations are these TSPO scans that show the microglial activation? Where are these scans positive? Yep, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, PSP, multisystem atrophy, major depression, long COVID, post-traumatic stress disorder.
David PerlmutterGUEST
I mean, these are images showing that what's going on in these brains is activation of the microglial cell.
David PerlmutterGUEST
We don't see that in the cognitively intact individual without one of these issues.
David PerlmutterGUEST
There are obviously many more, much more sophisticated tests that are out there.
David PerlmutterGUEST
One interesting, uh, uh, research tool is called a TSPO scan.
David PerlmutterGUEST
TSPO is a marker on the surface of the activated destructive microglial brain immune cells.
David PerlmutterGUEST
And we can scan for that now using a type of PET scan in living humans.
David PerlmutterGUEST
And interestingly, we see that this TSPO scan is positive, in other words, showing that these microglial cells are activated in their threatening configuration.
David PerlmutterGUEST
Of course, we see it in Alzheimer's, in Parkinson's, in MS, in long COVID, in, uh, PTSD, and even in major depressive disorder.
David PerlmutterGUEST
So it means then that this activation of the brain's immune cells, did I say, over which we have control a few times, uh, is s- something that as- is at play across a very wide spectrum of issues that affect the brain.
10 MINS LATER
David PerlmutterGUEST
Well, it's interesting, and, and I had this discussion with Dan Amen, uh, about three or four days ago a- as it relates to neuropsychiatric issues as well.
David PerlmutterGUEST
All of these conditions... are characterized by the shift in the microglial cells.
David PerlmutterGUEST
We can image living humans, their brains, using a special type of PET scan called a TSPO scan.
David PerlmutterGUEST
TSPO labels the microglial cells after they've become the evil twin.
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David PerlmutterGUEST
So we can... do a brain scan on individuals and determine how active these microglial cells are in destroying the brain.
David PerlmutterGUEST
So if the TSPO scan is positive, that indicates these cells are doing destruction.
speaker_1HOST
The neuroinflammatory hypothesis is highly compelling, there's no doubt, particularly for early stage or treatment-resistant illness.
speaker_1HOST
And the field has heavily relied upon TSPO PE imaging to investigate this.
Manaan KarrayHOST
TSPO?
speaker_1HOST
Yes, TSTO is an 18 kiloday translocator protein located on the outer mitochondrial membrane.
speaker_1HOST
Crucially, its expression is dramatically upregulated when microglia, which are the brain's resident macrophages, are activated by inflammation.
Manaan KarrayHOST
So logically, a high TSPO signal on a P scan should theoretically equate to active neural inflammation in that brain region.
Manaan KarrayHOST
But the literature seems really fractured on this point as well.
speaker_1HOST
The TSPO literature in schizophrenia is fraught with methodological peril, frankly.
David PerlmutterGUEST
I call that in the book, the evil twin.
David PerlmutterGUEST
You can see this, it's called a TSPO scan.
David PerlmutterGUEST
The TSPO scan, when it's positive, indicates that these microglial cells are now destroying the brain as opposed to supporting the brain.
David PerlmutterGUEST
And TSPO imaging is positive in Alzheimer's, as you would expect, in Parkinson's, in multi-system atrophy, progressive supraduclear palsy, multiple sclerosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, long COVID, fibromyalgia, and even major depressive disorder.
David PerlmutterGUEST
So it really starts to throw a very large net that when we compromise the metabolism of the microglial cells, they shift to becoming non-supportive.
David PerlmutterGUEST
Otherwise, they're gonna nurture our neurons, keep the blood-brain barrier working, keep those synapses connected, all the good things, right? But when their metabolism is challenged, then they shift to becoming destructive in the brain.
37 MINS LATER
David PerlmutterGUEST
And again, those people consuming 10 or more handfuls of ultra-processed foods a day, getting a triple risk for Alzheimer's, now we get it.
David PerlmutterGUEST
Because that level of inflammation, of blood sugar elevation, of insulin resistance that develop targets the microglial cells.
David PerlmutterGUEST
They transition and can do good things and bad things.
David PerlmutterGUEST
But we can actually measure in living humans, uh, M1 activated bad microglial cells, and we, it's called a TSPO scan.
David PerlmutterGUEST
It's for research only.
David PerlmutterGUEST
It's not available-
Darshan ShahHOST
Hmm
David PerlmutterGUEST
... to people to have.
David PerlmutterGUEST
And we see that this TSPO scan is lit up across every neurodegenerative condition that you could name to me right now.
Darshan ShahHOST
Mm-hmm.
David PerlmutterGUEST
It explains why permeability of the gut for all, you know, of all things from having changes in our gut, uh, bacteria leads to increased inflammation that will activate these microglial cells and shift them to becoming again the evil twin.
David PerlmutterGUEST
We now see that we can, um, uh, research-wise anyway, image the brain in living humans using what's called a TSPO scan.
David PerlmutterGUEST
This scan images when the microglia are activated to their destructive state.
David PerlmutterGUEST
So a positive TSPO scan shows activation of the microglial cells.
David PerlmutterGUEST
And we see that the TSPO scan is positive, as you would expect in Alzheimer's, in Parkinson's, in multiple s- uh, multi-system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, uh, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress, uh, e- and even long COVID.
David PerlmutterGUEST
So really it, this whole notion of activation of the brain's immune cells called microglia throws an incredibly large net and that is giving us all a level of empowerment now that we've never, uh, had access to in the past.
Mark HymanHOST
You know, I think, I think there's a whole new way of thinking about the brain and I think we, we've kind of lost, uh, this sort of central idea in medicine which is that we can help the brain.
David PerlmutterGUEST
These are all indicators though of levels ultimately of inflammation.
David PerlmutterGUEST
But there is a type of brain scan called TSPO.
David PerlmutterGUEST
TSPO tags those microglia that are in their inflammatory state, the brain's immune cells that have shifted from being supportive to being the zombie.
David PerlmutterGUEST
Now they're around destroying cells.
David PerlmutterGUEST
Now that's only available as a research tool, but what I describe in the book is all of the various neurodegenerative disorders in which the TSPO scan is positive.
David PerlmutterGUEST
In other words, showing these, what we call M1 microglial cells, these cells in the brain that have been turned on by changes in the microbiome, by exposure to PM2.5 particles in the atmosphere, by head trauma, by glyphosate exposure, all of the things that can lead to turning on to the microglia are able to be imaged on the TSPO scan.
David PerlmutterGUEST
And it's across the spectrum of neurodegenerative conditions.
David PerlmutterGUEST
Anyone that you could name right now, I would almost guarantee you would light up on the TSPO.
David PerlmutterGUEST
There's a new type of research scan that's not available for, for, you know, us mere mortals to have if we wanted to go and have it.
David PerlmutterGUEST
It's called a TSPO scan, and it binds to a receptor that is active when the microglial cells have become M1 or destructive.
David PerlmutterGUEST
And, uh, I talk about it in the book that, um, this TSPO scan is activated in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, uh, PSP, multisystem atrophy, major depressive disorder, long COVID, for example, PTSD.
David PerlmutterGUEST
So who knew, uh, that even mood disorders and this post-COVID issue that is still something very much, uh, on the radar in our modern world are characterized by the shift of microglial cells? So-
David JockersHOST
Mm
David PerlmutterGUEST
That is upstream in every neurodegenerative condition that you could name.
David PerlmutterGUEST
We can image those cells in the living human now, doing a very sophisticated type of PET scan called TSPO.
David PerlmutterGUEST
And we see that the TSPO lights up.
David PerlmutterGUEST
showing that these immune cells have shifted to becoming threatening for the brain.
David PerlmutterGUEST
Of course, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, progressive supernuclear palsy, multi-system atrophy, PTSD, long COVID, major depression, all of these entities and so many more demonstrate that the immune cells have shifted.
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