New Targets for the Development of PET Tracers for Imaging Neurodegeneration in Alzheimer Disease

The field of molecular imaging has experienced significant advances in the area of Alzheimer disease (AD), the most significant being the development of PET radiotracers for imaging β-amyloid burden in the brain of individuals at risk for or in the early stages of AD. More recent advances include the development of PET radiotracers for imaging aggregates of hyperphosphorylated tau protein in neurofibrillary tangles, a process that occurs late in the disease process. This article highlights advances in the neurobiology of AD and describes how PET can be used to study the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in AD.