Abstract
Remarkable progress has been recently achieved in neuroimaging of Alzheimer's disease prominently in MRI and amyloid PET imaging. We reviewed current morphological and functional MRI and amyloid PET imaging with attention to Pittsburgh compound-B (PiB), the most extensively investigated and validated tracer. Automated voxel-based morphometry of brain MRI has been prevailed in Japan using voxel-based specific regional analysis system for Alzheimer's disease (VSRAD) for the sensitive detection of selective atrophy in medial temporal structures. Arterial spin labeling technique for the evaluation of brain perfusion without any contrast material may replace FDG-PET or brain perfusion SPECT. PiB specifically binds to fibrillar beta-amyloid deposits in such as those found in the cerebral cortex and striatum. PiB-PET imaging is a sensitive and specific biological marker for underlying amyloid deposition that is an early event on the path to dementia. Amyloid imaging in healthy controls and mild cognitive impairment patients may offer the possibility detecting those at high risk of future AD, as so candidates for early preventive measures if and when they become available.
