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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
09:17
Using Retinal Imaging to Study Dementia
Published on: November 6, 2017
Relationships between biomarkers in aging and dementia
W J Jagust1, S M Landau, L M Shaw
1Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94620, USA. jagust@berkeley.edu
Neurology
|October 14, 2009
Summary
Alzheimer's disease biomarkers like PET scans and CSF tests show agreement but don't fully correlate with cognitive decline. FDG-PET shows a better link to cognition than other markers.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Biomarker Discovery
- Alzheimer's Disease Research
Background:
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging with [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and [(11)C]Pittsburgh compound B (PIB) are investigated as Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers.
- Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, including beta-amyloid (Abeta(1-42)), total tau (t-tau), and phosphorylated tau (p-tau), are also established AD indicators.
- The relationships between these diverse biomarkers and their correlation with AD severity remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the agreement between different AD biomarkers, including PET imaging and CSF analysis.
- To investigate the relationships between these biomarkers and cognitive function in individuals with AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and controls.
- To determine the complementary information provided by distinct AD biomarkers.
Main Methods:
- The study included 10 AD patients, 11 controls, and 34 MCI subjects from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.
- Participants underwent clinical evaluation, CSF analysis for Abeta(1-42), t-tau, and p-tau, and both PIB-PET and FDG-PET scans.
- Data were analyzed using regression models and dichotomous classification (AD-positive/negative) based on established cutoffs.
Main Results:
- Substantial agreement was observed between PIB-PET and CSF Abeta(1-42) (91% agreement).
- FDG-PET showed a significant correlation with Mini-Mental State Examination scores, indicating a relationship with cognitive function.
- While PIB-PET correlated with Abeta(1-42), t-tau, and p-tau, FDG-PET was only correlated with Abeta(1-42).
Conclusions:
- PET and CSF biomarkers for Abeta show concordance but do not directly correlate with cognitive impairment.
- FDG-PET demonstrates a moderate relationship with other biomarkers and a stronger association with cognitive status.
- Different Alzheimer's disease biomarkers offer unique and potentially complementary insights into the disease process.
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