Positron emission tomography facilitates diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
BACKGROUND
Clinical positron emission tomography (PET) may help in the evaluation of presenile patients with memory complaints for the presence of Alzheimer's disease (AD).


METHODS
Clinical PET scans from 27 patients with clinically probable AD and early ages of onset (<65 years) were compared to PET scans from 27 age-matched controls presenting with memory complaints, but without dementia or mild cognitive impairment.


RESULTS
Compared to controls, the AD patients had significant frontal, temporal and parietal hypometabolism bilaterally, and AD diagnosis correlated with left temporal and right temporoparietal hypometabolism. The sensitivity of temporoparietal hypometabolism for AD was 92.6%, the specificity 85.2%.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical PET imaging helps distinguish early-onset AD from patients with memory complaints not meeting criteria for dementia or mild cognitive impairment.
McMurtray
Aaron M
AM
Department of Neurology, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Calif., USA.
Licht
Eliot
E
Yeo
Tuty
T
Krisztal
Erica
E
Saul
Ronald E
RE
Mendez
Mario F
MF
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18