Crucial AD Details Revealed Using PET Scan

Photo: Meliesthebunny / flickr / cc by-nc

• Tau stands for 'Tau Protein'
• AD stands for 'Alzheimer’s disease'
  • A progressive, degenerative disorder
• PET stands for 'Positron Emission Tomography'
• Study, used PET scans to track AD progressive stages;
  • Detecting cellular-level changes in organs/tissue
• Researchers, noted tau buildup in medial temporal lobe, suggesting:
  • Episodic memory declines
  • In older age groups
• Involving 53 adults, broken down into the following groups:
  • 5 adults, aged 20-26 (control)
  • 48 adults, aged 53-90 (with probable AD dementia)
• Previously, definitive diagnosis only on autopsy, using Braak Stages 
• Application: PET tau imaging, help develop AD therapeutic approaches
• Published in the journal Neuron