Radiopharmaceuticals for imaging the receptors in the brain are of great interest in the management of several receptor related diseases such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and depression and other psychiatric disorders. Technetium-99m is the ideal radioisotope for imaging, due to its low cost, its easy and universal availability through commercially available generator systems, and its physical decay characteristics. The IAEA organized a coordinated research programme (CRP) aimed at the development of Tc-99m central neural system receptor imaging agents. This report summarizes the work carried out by different research groups during the CRP. The research projects presented by the participants include the development and evaluation of serotonin receptor ligands, benzodiazepinic receptor ligands, dopamine receptor ligands, and the study of novel cores for Tc-99m labelling, as well as molecular modelling.
