PET scans could provide new insight into Alzheimer’s development and progression

Written by Alice Weatherston

Scientists at the University of California Berkeley (CA, USA) have recently shown for the first time that positron emission tomography (PET) scans are capable of tracking the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in cognitively ‘normal’ adults. The findings, which were published in Neuron, may provide an important advancement for early diagnosis and management of the disease. The study included 53 adults separated into three different groups; five were healthy 20–26 year olds, 33 were cognitively healthy 64–90 year olds and 15 were aged 53–77 and had been diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s dementia. Braak staging of tau deposition has been established for...

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