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2019 Alzheimer's Association Clinician Scientist Fellowship (AACSF)

Accuracy of Tau PET Visual Interpretation in Alzheimer's Disease

Can detecting tau levels using brain scans aid in more accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease?
 

David Soleimani-Meigooni, M.D.
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA - United States



Background

Alzheimer’s is characterized in part by the accumulation of protein fragment beta-amyloid and an abnormal form of the tau protein. These molecules tend to form clumps called amyloid plaques and tau tangles respectively. Tau and amyloid clumps appear to form distinctive patterns in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s — patterns that differ from those seen in other forms of dementia. One technique for identifying such patterns in living people is via a brain scan called positron emission tomography (or PET). For several years, clinicians have used PET scans that assess beta-amyloid clumps (a procedure called amyloid PET) in living individuals. Dr. Soleimani-Meigooni proposes to determine whether PET scans for tau may also be helpful in more accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and in being able to differentiate it from other brain disorders.
 

Research Plan

For their research grant, Dr. David Soleimani-Meigooni and colleagues will test the accuracy of a tau brain scan called, tau ([18F]flortaucipir) PET, or FTP in detecting abnormal tau in the brain. This effort will involve over 700 participants that comprise of individuals who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, with another type of brain disorder (such as frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s disease or vascular dementia), or with no cognitive impairment. All of the participants will have undergone a series of amyloid PET and FTP brain scans from 2014 to 2017. Using data from these scans, the researchers will compare how well the two scans distinguish people with Alzheimer’s disease from those with the other diagnoses.
 
In addition, the researchers will study the brains of people who had previously undergone FTP brain scans.  Dr. Soleimani-Meigooni will analyze these brain tissues for Alzheimer’s or other brain diseases, and then make a comparison to determine the accuracy by which the FTP brain scans predicted these later diagnoses.      
 

Impact

If successful, the study results could make the FTP scan as a potentially powerful tool for more accurately diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
 

This project was made possible by the Heart of America Chapter.  
 

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