Neuroimaging in Dementia

This article captures the current literature regarding the use of neuroimaging measures to study neurodegenerative diseases, including early- and late-onset Alzheimer disease, vascular cognitive impairment, frontotemporal lobar degeneration disorders, dementia with Lewy bodies, and Parkinson disease dementia. In particular, the article highlights significant recent changes in novel therapeutics now available for the treatment of Alzheimer disease and in defining neurodegenerative disease using biological frameworks. Studies summarized include those using structural and functional MRI (fMRI) techniques, as well as metabolic and molecular emission tomography imaging (ie, positron emission tomography [PET] and single-photon emission computerized tomography [SPECT]).

Neuroimaging measures are considered essential biomarkers for the detection and diagnosis of most neurodegenerative diseases. The recent approval of anti-amyloid antibody therapies has highlighted the importance of MRI and PET techniques in treatment eligibility and monitoring for associated side effects. Given the success of the initial biomarker-based classification system for Alzheimer disease (the amyloid, tau, neurodegeneration [A/T/N] framework), researchers in vascular cognitive impairment have created similar techniques for biomarker-based diagnosis. Further, the A/T/N framework for Alzheimer disease has been updated to include several pathologic targets for biomarker detection.

Neurodegenerative diseases have a major health impact on millions of patients around the world. Neuroimaging biomarkers are rapidly becoming major diagnostic tools for the detection, monitoring, and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. This article educates readers about the current literature surrounding the use of neuroimaging tools in neurodegenerative diseases along with recent important developments in the field.