Abstract for presentation at 38th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine 2008

Assessing β-Amyloid Deposition with 11C-PiB-PET

  • Prof Christopher Rowe, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Centre for P.E.T., Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia
  • Dr Kerryn Pike, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Centre for P.E.T., Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia
  • Dr Graeme O'Keefe, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Centre for P.E.T., Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia
  • Dr Uwe Ackermann, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Centre for P.E.T., Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia
  • Mr Gareth Jones, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Centre for P.E.T., Austin Health, Melbourne
  • Dr Henri Tochon-Danguy, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Centre for P.E.T., Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia
  • Prof Colin Masters, The Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, Australia
  • Dr Victor Villemagne, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Centre for P.E.T., Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia

    • Objectives: In-vivo Aβ PET imaging is allowing new insights into brain Aβ deposition, facilitating research into the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of dementias. We assessed cerebral Aβ deposition in ageing and a variety of dementias.
    Methods: Over 200 subjects, 87 healthy controls (HC) (age 74±7, MMSE >28), 62 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (age 72±9, MMSE 21±4), 12 Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) (age 72±6, MMSE 21±7), 11 Frontotemporal lobe degeneration (FTLD) (age 69±10, MMSE 24±2) and 54 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (age 72±9, MMSE 26±2) subjects underwent equilibrium PiB-PET imaging. Images were visually inspected and binding quantified by Standardized Uptake Volume ratios (SUVR) using the cerebellum as reference region.
    Results: Neocortical Aβ was present in 98% of AD subjects, 83% of DLB subjects, 64% of MCI subjects and none of the FTLD subjects. PiB binding was observed in 34% of HC paralleling neuropathological findings. SUVR correlated with memory impairment in the HC and MCI subjects. PiB was more accurate than FDG PET for detection of AD especially in older onset cases. Two year follow-up in 50 subjects showed little change in neocortical SUVR. Progression to either MCI or AD was observed in 4 HC and 4 MCI, and 7 of these were PiB +ve.
    Conclusions: Our findings suggest that Aβ imaging will assist differential diagnosis of dementia and detect preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. Aβ imaging is likely to become an important diagnostic tool.

    Conference Organiser - ICMS Pty Ltd