[Functional magnetic resonance imaging and dementia]

Currently, different cerebral neuroimaging methods are being applied to varying questions in the diagnosis of dementia. In patients with manifest Alzheimer's disease a reduction of cortical perfusion and metabolism in temporal and temporoparietal regions has been demonstrated when compared to healthy controls on a diversity of memory tasks. Since differing levels of performance and varying degrees of cortical atrophy may influence functional results considerably, an understanding of the processes associated with normal ageing is perceived as prerequisite for studies applying functional neuroimaging. The integration of knowledge concerning neuropsychological and neurobiological alterations associated with healthy ageing allows hypotheses for the differentiation of pathological ageing processes to be phrased. In this connection non-invasive methods such as fMRI and ASL are of increasing importance.