Imaging as a strategy for premortem diagnosis and staging of tauopathies.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed by postmortem detection of pathological lesions that accumulate in specific brain regions. Although the presence of both beta-amyloid plaques and tau-bearing neurofibrillary lesions defines Alzheimer's disease, the distribution of neurofibrillary lesions alone correlates strongly with neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. A whole-brain imaging test capable of detecting these lesions in premortem cases could have great potential for staging and differentially diagnosing Alzheimer's disease. Here we discuss the challenges in developing a whole-brain imaging approach for detection of this intracellular target.

• Authors: S Kim, J R Jensen, K Cisek, K E Funk, S Naphade, K Schafer, J Kuret
• Journal: Current Alzheimer research (Curr Alzheimer Res) Vol. 7 Issue 3 Pg. 230-4 (May 2010) ISSN: 1875-5828 [Electronic] United Arab Emirates
• PMID: 20088805 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Amyloid beta-Peptides
• Biomarkers
• Coloring Agents
• tau Proteins

Topics

• Alzheimer Disease (diagnosis)
• Amyloid beta-Peptides (analysis, chemistry, metabolism)
• Binding, Competitive (physiology)
• Biomarkers (analysis)
• Brain (metabolism, pathology, physiopathology)
• Coloring Agents (chemistry, metabolism)
• Diagnostic Imaging (methods, trends)
• Humans
• Neurofibrillary Tangles (metabolism, pathology)
• Protein Binding (physiology)
• Tauopathies (diagnosis)
• tau Proteins (analysis, chemistry, metabolism)