Use of Florbetapir-PET for Imaging β-Amyloid Pathology

Abstract

Both diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer disease (AD) are hampered by the lack of noninvasive biomarkers of the underlying pathology. Between 10% and 20% of patients clinically diagnosed with AD lack AD pathology at autopsy,^1-3 and community physicians may not diagnose AD in 33% of patients with mild signs and symptoms.⁴ Thus, a diagnostic biomarker may help clinicians separate patients who have AD pathology from those who do not. The latter group is especially important because they require further evaluation to identify the true cause of their cognitive impairment. A pathology-based biomarker also could be useful for the early identification of individuals at risk for developing AD,⁵ and to facilitate testing of experimental disease–modifying drugs that target β-amyloid.⁶