AD and other forms or dementia can take several years to progress to a debilitating stage, and a diagnosis based on FDG-PET assessments at the first sign of onset may improve the prognosis of MCI patients. "Early diagnosis may enable earlier treatment and empower people to plan for their future sooner, including financial and legal matters. It is also important for individuals at risk to take care of treatable risk factors, such as hypertension and high cholesterol levels," said Mosconi. "By changing their diet and increasing exercise, many MCI patients may deter dementia for years-perhaps even until more effective treatments are developed."

The study comprised 548 subjects and is the largest FDG PET study measuring brain metabolism in different dementing disorders to date. Researchers from PET centers in the United States and Europe were able to apply and share objective image analysis procedures easily, opening up the possibility that this diagnostic procedure could be adapted to a clinical setting.


Dementia is a general term for a progressive brain dysfunction that results in the loss of memory and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. MCI patients demonstrate a decline of cognitive performance that is more pronounced than expected from age but not severe enough to meet criteria for dementia. The clinical course of these patients is challenging to forecast on the basis of clinical measures alone. Many diseases can result in a form of dementia, the most common one being AD, a progressive and fatal brain disease. According to the Alzheimer's Association, more than five million people in the United States have AD, and by 2050, that number could triple. Currently it is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.

Co-authors of "Multicenter Standardized 18F-FDG PET Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer's Disease, and Other Dementias" include Wai H. Tsui, New York University School of Medicine and the Nathan Kline Institute, New York, N.Y.; Karl Herholz, University of Manchester, Manchester, U.K.; Alberto Pupi, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; Alexander Drzezga, University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Giovanni Lucignani, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Eric M. Reiman, Good Samaritan Banner Center, University of Arizona, Phoenix, Ariz.; Vjera Holthoff, University Hospital of Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Elke Kalbe, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany; Sandro Sorbi, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; Janine Diehl-Schmid, University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Robert Perneczky University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Francesca Clerici, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Richard Caselli, Arizona Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research, Phoenix, Ariz.; Bettina Beuthien-Baumann, PET-Center Dresden-Rossendorf and University Hospital of Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Alexander Kurz, University of Munich, Munich, Germany; and Satoshi Minoshima, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.

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