From the Literature: Alzheimer's Disease

Regional Differences in MRI Detection of Amyloid Plaques in AD Transgenic Mouse Brain

Journal: Neuroimage (August 20, 2010)

Authors: Wengenack T, Reyes D, Curran G, et al.

Purpose: To use “five-way anatomic spatial co-registration of MR images with three different histological techniques” to reveal “properties of amyloid plaques in AD transgenic mouse brain… that may explain their variable visibility in gradient- and spin-echo MR images,” as most MRI studies that attempt to detect plaques in AD transgenic mouse brains have “ployed techniques that exploit the paramagnetic effect of iron and have had mixed results.”

Results: In the MR imaging of human AD plaque, MRI methods might eventually be more successful if they rely less on iron magnetic susceptibility effect. This is especially believed by the authors because “human AD plaques more closely resemble the cortical and hippocampal plaques of AD transgenic mice than thalamic plaques.”

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Relative Capability of MR Imaging and FDG PET to Depict Changes Associated with Prodromal and Early Alzheimer Disease

Journal: Radiology (September 2010)

Authors: Karow D, McEvoy L, Fennema-Notestine C, et al.

Purpose: “To quantify the effect sizes of regional metabolic and morphometric measures in patients with preclinical and mild Alzheimer disease (AD) to aid in the identification of noninvasive biomarkers for the early detection of AD.”

Results: No evidence was found that flurodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography is more sensitive to preclinical and mild AD degeneration than is MR imaging. Thus, for early detection of AD, MR imaging findings might be more practical as clinical biomarkers.

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