Amyloid-beta Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Probes : A Critical Review

• The rapidly rising prevalence and cost of Alzheimer's disease in recent decades has made the imaging of amyloid-beta deposits the focus of intense research. Several amyloid imaging probes with purported specificity for amyloid-beta plaques are currently at various stages of FDA approval. However, a number of factors appear to preclude these probes from clinical utilization. As the available "amyloid specific" positron emission tomography imaging probes have failed to demonstrate diagnostic value and have shown limited utility for monitoring therapeutic interventions in humans, a debate on their significance has emerged. The aim of this review is to identify and discuss critically the scientific issues contributing to the extensive inconsistencies reported in the literature on their purported in vivo amyloid specificity and potential utilization in patients.

Keyword

Amyloid imaging

amyloid 'specific' imaging probes

Amyvid

critical review

neuropathologic criteria

PIB

silent medial temporal lobe

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