Quantification of the novel N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor ligand [(11)C]GMOM in man

[(11)C]GMOM (carbon-11 labeled N-(2-chloro-5-thiomethylphenyl)-N′-(3-[(11)C]methoxy-phenyl)-N′-methylguanidine) is a PET ligand that binds to the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor with high specificity and affinity. The purpose of this first in human study was to evaluate kinetics of [(11)C]GMOM in the healthy human brain and to identify the optimal pharmacokinetic model for quantifying these kinetics, both before and after a pharmacological dose of S-ketamine. Dynamic 90 min [(11)C]GMOM PET scans were obtained from 10 subjects. In six of the 10 subjects, a second PET scan was performed following an S-ketamine challenge. Metabolite corrected plasma input functions were obtained for all scans. Regional time activity curves were fitted to various single- and two-tissue compartment models. Best fits were obtained using a two-tissue irreversible model with blood volume parameter. The highest net influx rate (K(i)) of [(11)C]GMOM was observed in regions with high N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor density, such as hippocampus and thalamus. A significant reduction in the K(i) was observed for the entire brain after administration of ketamine, suggesting specific binding to the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors. This initial study suggests that the [(11)C]GMOM could be used for quantification of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors.