Applications of amyloid, tau, and neuroinflammation PET imaging to Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating and progressive neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered a prodromal stage of the disease. Molecular imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) allows for the in vivo visualisation and tracking of pathophysiological changes in AD and MCI. PET is a very promising methodology for differential diagnosis and novel targets of PET imaging might also serve as biomarkers for disease‐modifying therapeutic interventions. This review provides an overview of the current status and applications of in vivo molecular imaging of AD pathology, specifically amyloid, tau, and microglial activation. PET imaging studies were included and evaluated as potential biomarkers and for monitoring disease progression. Although the majority of radiotracers showed the ability to discriminate AD and MCI patients from healthy controls, they had various limitations that prevent the recommendation of a single technique or tracer as an optimal biomarker. Newer research examining amyloid, tau, and microglial PET imaging in combination suggest an alternative approach in studying the disease process.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Sep 14, 2019
Source ID
10.1002/hbm.24782

Entities

People

  • Avinash Chandra
  • For The Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative*
  • Gennaro Pagano
  • George Dervenoulas
  • Marios Politis
  • Oliver Cousins
  • Polytimi‐eleni Valkimadi

Organizations

  • AbbVie
  • Alzheimer's Association
  • Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
  • Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation
  • Alzheimer's Research UK
  • Avid Radiopharmaceuticals
  • BioClinica
  • Biogen
  • Bristol-Myers Squibb
  • CHDI Foundation
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research
  • Chiron Corporation
  • Eisai
  • Eli Lilly and Company
  • Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
  • GE HealthCare
  • Hoffmann-La Roche
  • King's College London
  • Laboratoires Servier
  • Medical Research Council Canada
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
  • National Institute on Aging
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Pfizer
  • Roche (United States)
  • Takeda Pharmaceutical Company
  • United States Department of Defense

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Medical Imaging.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Cognitive Aging in the Guam and Border Populations Affected by Alzheimer's Disease and Tau-Associated Dementias.