MR microimaging of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease transgenic mice.
BACKGROUND
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurological condition affecting industrialized nations and will rapidly become a healthcare crisis as the population ages. Currently, the post-mortem histological observation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles is the only definitive diagnosis available for AD. A pre-mortem biological or physiological marker specific for AD used in conjunction with current neurological and memory testing could add a great deal of confidence to the diagnosis of AD and potentially allow therapeutic intervention much earlier in the disease process.


CONCLUSIONS
Our group has developed MRI techniques to detect individual amyloid plaques in AD transgenic mouse brain in vivo. We are also developing contrast-enhancing agents to increase the specificity of detection of amyloid plaques. Such in vivo imaging of amyloid plaques will also allow the evaluation of anti-amyloid therapies being developed by the pharmaceutical industry in pre-clinical trials of AD transgenic mice. This short review briefly discusses our progress in these areas.
Wengenack
Thomas M
TM
Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Jack
Clifford R
CR
Garwood
Michael
M
Poduslo
Joseph F
JF
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D003287:Contrast Media; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D015336:Molecular Probe Techniques; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000378:metabolism*
D003287:Contrast Media