Tau Positron Emission Tomography in Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer Disease

The introduction of positron emission tomography (PET) tracers that can identify paired helical filaments of hyperphosphorylated tau (ie, neurofibrillary tangles) has been met with tremendous optimism in the field of Alzheimer disease (AD) research. For example, a search in PubMed indicates that the number of publications returned by a search of the words “tau PET” has increased from 39 in 2010 to more than 270 in the past 2 years, and tau PET scans are now being integrated into large observational and clinical trial studies. This optimistic spread of investigation is based on the expectation that these tracers will provide a deeper understanding of the biology of the disease and may also provide a surrogate biomarker measure related to the cognitive impairment the disease causes.
Source: JAMA Neurology - Category: Neurology Source Type: research