AD molecular: Imaging tau aggregates with positron emissions tomography

Abstract

Pathologic aggregates of tau protein are observed in several neurodegenerative diseases and are used to diagnose and stage disease postmortem. Recent advances in positron emission tomography radioligands allow for the detection of aggregated tau proteins in living persons. This chapter describes the development and characterization of several positron emission tomography radioligands used to detect tau pathophysiology in vivo, and how these ligands are being used in clinical aging and neurodegenerative disease research with a focus on imaging tau aggregates in Alzheimer's disease.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Neurofibrillary tangles; Neuroimaging; PET; Paired-helical filaments; Positron emission tomography; Tau.