Amyloid load in Parkinson's disease dementia and Lewy body dementia measured with [11C]PIB positron emission tomography

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Neuropathological studies have reported varying amounts of amyloid pathology in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). [11C]PIB positron emission tomography (PET) is a marker of brain amyloid deposition. The aim of this study was to quantify in vivo amyloid load in DLB and PDD compared with control subjects and subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) without dementia. METHODS: 13 DLB, 12 PDD, 10 PD subjects and 41 age matched controls (55-82 years) were recruited. Each subject underwent clinical evaluation, neuropsychological assessment, T1 and T2 MRI, and [11C]PIB PET. The amyloid load was estimated from 60-90' target region:cerebellar [11C]PIB up..