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Diseases of the Brain, Head & Neck, Spine pp 215–218Cite as

Imaging of Dementia

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Abstract

PET and SPECT are well-established tools to detect synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). SPECT tracers, such as Tc-99m-HMPAO, are used for imaging blood flow, while F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is used with PET for imaging cerebral glucose consumption (see reviews by [1, 2]). In normal subjects, regional glucose metabolism and blood flow are tightly coupled to neuronal function, while in neurodegenerative disease both are reduced due to regional synaptic dysfunction. Scans must be obtained under well-controlled standard conditions to avoid confounding effects by uncontrolled brain activation. Thus, while this review largely refers to FDG PET as the most accurate imaging tool to assess synaptic dysfunction in dementia, many aspects can also be addressed by blood-flow SPECT, albeit with somewhat lower accuracy [3].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Karl Herholz

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  1. Karl Herholz
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital Balgrist, Radiology, Orthopedic University, Zurich, Switzerland

    J. Hodler

  2. Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland

    G. K. Von Schulthess

  3. Kilchberg/Zurich, Switzerland

    Ch. L. Zollikofer

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Herholz, K. (2008). Imaging of Dementia. In: Hodler, J., Von Schulthess, G.K., Zollikofer, C.L. (eds) Diseases of the Brain, Head & Neck, Spine. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-0840-3_33

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-0840-3_33

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