Reduced posterior cingulate binding of I-123 iododexetimide to muscarinic receptors in mild Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Early detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD) allows timely pharmacological and social interventions. Alteration in muscarinic receptor binding was evaluated with I-123 iodo-dexetimide (IDEX) in early clinical stage AD. We studied 11 mild AD patients (Folstein Minimental State Examination Score 24-27, Clinical Dementia Rating 0.5-1.0) and 10 age- and sex-matched normal subjects with SPECT brain imaging after injection of 185 MBq of IDEX and 750 MBq of 99mTc-HMPAO. Using a voxel based approach (Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM99) software), a deficit in IDEX binding was found in the posterior cingulate cortex in the mild AD group with p (corrected)=0.06 for the most significant voxel and p=0..