Paul A. Parcon, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Topics
Dr. Parcon’s research interests focus on the measurement and treatment of neuroinflammation in neurocognitive disorders and major depression. His program uses translational PET molecular imaging to quantify inflammatory and intracellular signaling pathways in the living brain, with emphasis on radioligands targeting PDE4/PDE4B, COX-1/2, TSPO, and related neuroimmune mechanisms. He is particularly interested in developing patient-centered PET biomarkers that can clarify how neuroinflammation changes with aging, Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, major depressive disorder, as well as after pharmacologic challenge.
A central goal of this work is to connect molecular measurement with therapeutic development. Dr. Parcon studies PDE4/cAMP signaling as a dynamic biomarker of neuroinflammation and antidepressant response, including the effects of ketamine and other rapid-acting interventions. His research also explores whether molecular imaging markers of COX-1/2, PDE4B, and related pathways can identify treatment-relevant mechanisms in dementia and mood disorders. Ultimately, his work aims to support novel treatment modalities, including PDE4B inhibitors and other mechanism-based approaches for chronic neuroinflammation, cognitive decline, and major depression.
Biography
Paul A. Parcon, M.D., Ph.D., is an Assistant Clinical Investigator and Medical Director of PET Imaging in the Molecular Imaging Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health, NIH. His research program integrates psychiatry, PET molecular imaging, neuropsychopharmacology, and aging biology to identify measurable mechanisms underlying dementia, major depression, and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Dr. Parcon completed residency and fellowship training in psychiatry and clinical research through the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the NIMH Intramural Research Program. He earned his M.D. with Honors in Research and Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences in Aging Biology from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where his dissertation examined how neuroinflammation, aging, and ApoE4 affect autophagy in Alzheimer’s disease. His recent work includes PET studies of cyclooxygenase-1 in aging and translational studies showing ketamine-related changes in PDE4 radioligand binding, an indirect marker of cAMP signaling. His long-term goal is to develop imaging and molecular biomarkers that can guide novel mechanism-based interventions for depression, dementia, and related neuropsychiatric disorders.
Selected Publications
Parcon P, Scrabis M, Nørgaard M, Galassi A, Zanotti-Fregonara P, Liow JS, Innis RB, Kim MJ. [11C]PS13 PET shows that age is positively correlated with constitutively expressed cyclooxygenase-1 in the brain. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2026 May 5:271678X261444895. doi: 10.1177/0271678X261444895. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42083927; PMCID: PMC13144294.
Parcon PA, Bardhoshi A, Olsen-Dufour A, Cureton R, Jana S, Morse CL, Henter ID, Totis J, Jenson AE, Pamie-George MT, Liow JS, Zoghbi SS, Wu S, Pike VW, Innis RB. Subanesthetic doses of ketamine to rats and monkeys rapidly increases radioligand binding in brain to phosphodiesterase-4, an indirect marker of cAMP. Transl Psychiatry. 2026 Apr 21. doi: 10.1038/s41398-026-04039-w. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42014381.
Tang S, Kim SW, Olsen-Dufour A, Pearson T, Freaney M, Singley E, Jenkins M, Burkard NJ, Wozniak A, Parcon P, Wu S, Morse CL, Jana S, Liow JS, Zoghbi SS, Vendruscolo JCM, Vendruscolo LF, Pike VW, Koob GF, Volkow ND, Innis RB. PET imaging in rat brain shows opposite effects of acute and chronic alcohol exposure on phosphodiesterase-4B, an indirect biomarker of cAMP activity. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2024 Dec;50(2):444-451. doi: 10.1038/s41386-024-01988-y. Epub 2024 Sep 16. PMID: 39285225; PMCID: PMC11632093.
Balasubramaniam M, Parcon PA, Bose C, Liu L, Jones RA, Farlow MR, Mrak RE, Barger SW, Griffin WST. Interleukin-1β drives NEDD8 nuclear-to-cytoplasmic translocation, fostering parkin activation via NEDD8 binding to the P-ubiquitin activating site. J Neuroinflammation. 2019 Dec 27;16(1):275. doi: 10.1186/s12974-019-1669-z. PMID: 31882005; PMCID: PMC6935243.
Parcon PA, Balasubramaniam M, Ayyadevara S, Jones RA, Liu L, Shmookler Reis RJ, Barger SW, Mrak RE, Griffin WST. Apolipoprotein E4 inhibits autophagy gene products through direct, specific binding to CLEAR motifs. Alzheimers Dement. 2018 Feb;14(2):230-242. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2017.07.754. Epub 2017 Sep 22. PMID: 28945989; PMCID: PMC6613789.
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