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Radiotracer Administration for High Temporal Resolution Positron Emission Tomography of the Human Brain: Application to FDG-fPET
Published on: October 22, 2019
Volumetric MRI and FDG-PET hypometabolism biomarkers of frontotemporal dementia: protocol for a systematic review and
Taylor J Solomon1, Ana Antonic-Baker1, Lorena Romero2
1Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Introduction:
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) remains challenging to diagnose owing to the marked clinical heterogeneity associated with the disease. This heterogeneity stems from the complex interplay of various clinical phenotypes, genetic mutations and underlying neuropathologies, such as TDP-43 and tau proteinopathies. Currently, there is no single confirmed biomarker that can reliably diagnose disease, specifically disease stage, disease subtype and underlying neuropathology. Recent research has indicated that neuroimaging techniques hold the most promise for the discovery of FTD biomarkers. We propose a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify MRI and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) biomarkers associated with clinical, genetic and pathological subtypes of FTD. We aim to address the following research questions: can regional MRI volumetry and FDG-PET hypometabolism differentiate (1) FTD patients from healthy controls; (2) sporadic cases of FTD from healthy controls; (3) genetic cases of FTD (MAPT, GRN, and C9orf72 mutations); and (4) underlying neuropathology, specifically discriminating between tau- and TDP-43-based FTD?
Methods:
Literature searches will be performed across three databases: Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase and Web of Science. Publications that have fewer than five participants, are non-human-based, not written in the English language or contain unpublished data will be excluded. Two independent investigators will screen and subsequently evaluate which publications to include. Should any disagreements arise, a third investigator will settle the discrepancy. After the random-effects meta-analysis has been used to extract and pool the data, I2 analysis will be used to quantify heterogeneity.
Ethics And Dissemination:
Ethics approval will not be required for this research. On completion, the systematic review and meta-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Prospero Registration Number:
CRD42024545302.
Insights
This systematic review and meta-analysis protocol aims to find neuroimaging biomarkers for frontotemporal dementia (FTD). It will identify MRI and FDG-PET markers to differentiate FTD subtypes and neuropathologies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Radiology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis is challenging due to clinical heterogeneity.
- Current diagnostic methods lack reliable biomarkers for disease stage, subtype, or neuropathology.
- Neuroimaging techniques show promise for identifying FTD biomarkers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze MRI and FDG-PET biomarkers for FTD.
- To identify biomarkers differentiating FTD patients from controls, sporadic from genetic FTD, and tau from TDP-43 proteinopathies.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search across Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase, and Web of Science.
- Inclusion criteria: human-based studies in English; exclusion: <5 participants, unpublished data.
- Random-effects meta-analysis and I² analysis for heterogeneity.
Main Results:
- This section will present findings after data extraction and analysis.
- Expected results include identification of specific MRI and FDG-PET patterns associated with FTD subtypes.
Conclusions:
- This systematic review and meta-analysis protocol will provide a comprehensive overview of neuroimaging biomarkers for FTD.
- Findings are expected to aid in developing more accurate diagnostic tools for FTD subtypes and neuropathologies.
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