Amyloid PET ligands for dementia

Abstract

The progressive nature of neurodegeneration suggests an age-dependent process that ultimately leads to synaptic failure and neuronal damage in cortical areas of the brain critical for memory and higher mental functions. The increasing age of the population in developed countries suggests that, if unchecked, these disorders will become increasingly prevalent. In the absence of specific biologic markers, direct pathologic examination of brain tissue still is the only definitive method for establishing a diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD) and other types of dementia. Pathologic hallmarks of AD are intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) and extracellular amyloid plaques. NFT are intraneuro..