title: Advances in the development of tau PET radiotracers and their clinical applications.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative dementias belong to the family of tauopathies. These diseases are characterized by the deposition of insoluble tau aggregates possessing an enriched β-sheet structure. In vivo imaging of the tau deposits by positron emission tomography (PET) will facilitate the early and accurate diagnosis of these diseases, tracking of disease progression, assessment of disease severity, and prediction of disease prognosis. Furthermore, this technology is expected to play a vital role in the monitoring of treatment outcomes and in the selection of patients for the therapeutic trials of anti-dementia drugs. Recently, several tau PET tracers have been successfully developed and demonstrated as having high binding affinity and selectivity to tau protein deposits. Recent clinical studies using these tracers have demonstrated significant tracer retention in sites susceptible to tau deposition in Alzheimer's disease, as well as correlations with the disease severity and cognitive impairment in cases with dementia. These tracers, thus, have the potential to effectively diagnose the tauopathies. Further longitudinal assessment will clarify the effect of the tau deposition on the neurodegenerative process and cognitive decline and the interaction of tau with amyloid-β in the human brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Japan; Division of Neuro-imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Japan. Electronic address: nookamura@med.tohoku.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuro-imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.affiliation: Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center, Tohoku University, Japan.
authors.forename: Shozo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Furumoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tago
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Japan; Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center, Tohoku University, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yanai
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuro-imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukitsuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kudo
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D024801:Tauopathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D016875:tau Proteins
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Neurofibrillary tangles; Neuroimaging; Positron emission tomography; Tau proteins