TSPO and neurodegenerative disease: Furthermore, their mouse model showed that elevated microglial FDG uptake correlated with increased expression of the 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO) on PET, which has been consistently associated with neuroinflammation.56 Overall, their results suggest that microglia activation occurring at early stages of neurodegenerative diseases, most probably because of an inflammatory process, stimulates glucose uptake and thus drives the increase of FDG PET signal (i.e. hypermetabolism).