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Multimodality Imaging of Huntington’s Disease

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PET-CT and PET-MRI in Neurology

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Abstract

Molecular imaging has represented a major breakthrough in the advancement in the field of neurobiology allowing in vivo quantification of the molecular processes that underlay cellular dysfunction and loss in Huntington’s disease (HD). The onset and course of the disease depends on a cascade of events triggered by a genetic mutation involving several tissues and brain structures. In recent years, positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have improved our understanding of the neurodegenerative mechanisms leading to its clinical manifestations. PET imaging has been developed as a potential biological marker for estimating the age of onset of the disease and assessing the effectiveness of experimental treatments. The present chapter summarizes the contribution of PET and MRI in the research field on Huntington’s disease, through some of the most significant achievements that have helped comprehend the molecular changes, the clinical manifestations, and the course of the disease.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, S. Andrea Hospital, La Spezia, Italy

    Andrea Ciarmiello

  2. Institute of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Stadtspital Triemli, Zurich, Switzerland

    Giampiero Giovacchini

Authors
  1. Andrea Ciarmiello
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  2. Giampiero Giovacchini
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Correspondence to Andrea Ciarmiello .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. S. Andrea Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, La Spezia, Italy

    Andrea Ciarmiello

  2. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Second University of Naples, Napoli, Italy

    Luigi Mansi

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Ciarmiello, A., Giovacchini, G. (2016). Multimodality Imaging of Huntington’s Disease. In: Ciarmiello, A., Mansi, L. (eds) PET-CT and PET-MRI in Neurology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31614-7_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31614-7_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31612-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31614-7

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