Research Progress of Radioligands for α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor

α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7-nAChRs) are closely related to various functions of the central nervous system and degenerative neurological diseases. With the development of positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT), it is possible to early diagnose neurodegenerative diseases at molecular level. It is of great significance to develop an imaging agent with high affinity, specificity and selectivity targeting α7-nAChR for the early diagnosis and therapeutic effect detection of degenerative neuropathy with Alzheimer's disease as the main target. In this paper, we summarized the development of a7 nAChR radioligands at home and abroad in recent years. The advantages, disadvantages and future prospects of these ligands are briefly introduced.