Clinical value of nuclear medicine approaches in the diagnosis of dementia

So far, a definite diagnosis of different forms of neurodegenerative dementias can only be carried out by post-mortem histopathological evaluation of brain tissue. It is accepted that the pathological changes in the brain start years to decades ahead of the onset of clinical symptoms. The utility of clinical/neuropsychological test measures for early diagnosis of these disorders in mild or asymptomatic stages is therefore limited. Additionally, the symptomatic overlap between different forms of dementia hampers clinical differential diagnosis. Particularly new treatment approaches constitute the need for reliable early and differential diagnosis, which underlines the need for suitable biomarkers. Here, we will discuss the value of two functional/ molecular imaging procedures, which are most promising and well-evaluated for this purpose FDG PET (positron emission tomography) as a measure of neuronal dysfunction and amyloid-plaque imaging using modern PET tracer such as PIB. The value of these imaging tools for early and differential diagnosis as well as for patient selection for therapy studies and for objective therapy control will be discussed.     «

So far, a definite diagnosis of different forms of neurodegenerative dementias can only be carried out by post-mortem histopathological evaluation of brain tissue. It is accepted that the pathological changes in the brain start years to decades ahead of the onset of clinical symptoms. The utility of clinical/neuropsychological test measures for early diagnosis of these disorders in mild or asymptomatic stages is therefore limited. Additionally, the symptomatic overlap between different forms of...     »