PET Imaging of Tau Deposition in the Aging Human Brain

Overview

Journal Neuron

Publisher Cell Press

Specialty Neurology

Date 2016 Mar 4

PMID 26938442

Citations 630

Authors

Michael Scholl

Samuel N Lockhart

Daniel R Schonhaut

James P ONeil

Mustafa Janabi

Rik Ossenkoppele

Suzanne L Baker

Jacob W Vogel

Jamie Faria

Henry D Schwimmer

Gil D Rabinovici

William J Jagust

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Tau pathology is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) but also occurs in normal cognitive aging. Using the tau PET agent (18)F-AV-1451, we examined retention patterns in cognitively normal older people in relation to young controls and AD patients. Age and β-amyloid (measured using PiB PET) were differentially associated with tau tracer retention in healthy aging. Older age was related to increased tracer retention in regions of the medial temporal lobe, which predicted worse episodic memory performance. PET detection of tau in other isocortical regions required the presence of cortical β-amyloid and was associated with decline in global cognition. Furthermore, patterns of tracer retention corresponded well with Braak staging of neurofibrillary tau pathology. The present study defined patterns of tau tracer retention in normal aging in relation to age, cognition, and β-amyloid deposition.

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