Realizing the potential of positron emission tomography with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose to improve the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) thus far rarely has been used to advance the development of new treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Now that FDG-PET with standard acquisition protocols for dementia is widely available, change in cerebral glucose metabolism is a feasible outcome variable for clinical drug trials. Individual analysis of FDG-PET results also might prove valuable. FDG-PET can detect metabolic changes very early in the course of AD and identify subjects for earlier treatment. FDG-PET reliably distinguishes AD from frontotemporal dementia so that only those most likely to benefit are enrolled in trials. Finally, objectively identifying phenotypic variations of AD with FDG-PET might have pathogenic and prognostic implications that can be used for personalized treatment approaches. The judicious use of FDG-PET is needed to accelerate the evaluation of promising new drugs and more rationally target treatments for dementing diseases.
Foster
Norman L
NL
Center for Alzheimer's Care, Imaging and Research, Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. norman.foster@hsc.utah.edu
Wang
Angela Y
AY
Tasdizen
Tolga
T
Fletcher
P Thomas
PT
Hoffman
John M
JM
Koeppe
Robert A
RA
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18