PET Imaging May Help Detect Alzheimer’s Lesions in the Brain

[TECH NEWS]

The use of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging may help identify findings in brain tissue associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), according to two articles published Online First July 11 by Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. As scientists seek to understand more about AD and other forms of dementia, they are exploring the use of PET, according to background information in the articles. This imaging technique involves the use of radioactive tracers to highlight areas of the brain affected by these conditions. Various teams of researchers are studying the effectiveness of different types of tracers for identifying brain findings associated with these conditions. In one study, David A. Wolk, M.D., from the Penn Memory Center in Philadelphia, and colleagues, evaluated use of a tracer called fluorine 18-labeled flutemetamol for imaging the brain. In another study, Adam S. Fleisher, M.D., from Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix, and colleagues, evaluated PET imaging using the tracer florbetapir F 18. The authors of both articles suggest that their results may demonstrate ways in which PET imaging can be used with selected tracers to help identify findings associated with AD.

7/11/2011, JAMA & Archives