title: Molecular imaging in genetics.
abstract: Neuroimaging is a potentially valuable tool to link individual differences in the human genome to structure and functional variations, narrowing the gaps in the casual chain from a given genetic variation to a brain disorder. Because genes are not usually expressed at the level of mental behavior, but are mediated by their molecular and cellular effects, molecular imaging could play a key role. This article reviews the literature using molecular imaging as an intermediate phenotype and/or biomarker for illness related to certain genetic alterations, focusing on the most common neurodegenerative disorders, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson disease.
authors.affiliation: PET/CT, Clínica de Diagnóstico Por Imagem (CDPI), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: leite_jose@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.affiliation: PET/CT, Clínica de Diagnóstico Por Imagem (CDPI), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hespanhol
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, São Paulo University (USP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Alberto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Buchpiguel
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
keywords: Alzheimer disease; Genetics; Molecular imaging; PET imaging; Parkinson disease