Imaginem oblivionis: the prospects of neuroimaging for early detection of Alzheimer's disease.

摘要

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterised by the gradual onset of dementia. The pathological hallmarks of the disease are Abeta amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and reactive gliosis. Current diagnosis of AD is made by clinical, neuropsychologic, and neuroimaging assessments. Routine structural neuroimaging evaluation is based on non-specific features such as atrophy, a late feature in the progression of the disease, hence the crucial importance of developing new approaches for early and specific recognition at the prodromal stages of AD. Functional neuroimaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) could prove to be valuable in the differential diagnosis of AD, as well as in assessing prognosis. With the advent of new therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing the Abeta amyloid burden in the brain, there is increasing interest in the development of PET and SPECT radioligands that will permit the assessment of Abeta amyloid burden in vivo. From this, the prospect of specific preclinical diagnosis arises, possibly in conjuction with other related Abeta biomarkers in plasma and CSF.