The translocator protein (TSPO) is an outer mitochondrial membrane protein that is widely
used as a biomarker of neuroinflammation, being markedly upregulated in activated
microglia in a range of brain pathologies. Despite its extensive use as a target in molecular
imaging studies, the exact cellular functions of this protein remain in question. The long-held
view that TSPO plays a fundamental role in the translocation of cholesterol through the
mitochondrial membranes, and thus, steroidogenesis, has been disputed by several groups …