Abstract
Emerging evidence supports a hypothesized role of the α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-nAChR) in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). 18F-ASEM is a radioligand for estimating availability of the α7-nAChR in the brain in vivo with positron emission tomography (PET). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 14 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a prodromal stage to dementia, and 17 cognitively intact, elderly controls completed 18F-ASEM PET. For each participant, binding in each region of interest was estimated using Logan graphical analysis with a metabolite-corrected arterial input function. Results: Higher 18F-ASEM binding was observed in MCI compared to controls across all regions, supporting higher availability of the α7-nAChR in MCI. 18F-ASEM binding was not associated with verbal memory in this small MCI sample. Conclusion: These data support use of 18F-ASEM PET to examine further the relationship between α7-nAChR availability and MCI.
- Molecular Imaging
- Neurology
- PET
- <sup>18</sup>F-ASEM
- cholinergic
- dementia
- nAChR
- positron emission tomography
- Copyright © 2019 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.