Astrocyte Signature in Alzheimer’s Disease Continuum through a Multi-PET Tracer Imaging Perspective
Igor C. Fontana,
Miriam Scarpa,
Mona-Lisa Malarte,
Filipa M. Rocha,
Sira Ausellé-Bosch,
Marina Bluma,
Marco Bucci,
Konstantinos Chiotis,
Amit Kumar,
Agneta Nordberg
Affiliations
Igor C. Fontana
Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 141 52 Stockholm, Sweden
Miriam Scarpa
Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 141 52 Stockholm, Sweden
Mona-Lisa Malarte
Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 141 52 Stockholm, Sweden
Filipa M. Rocha
Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 141 52 Stockholm, Sweden
Sira Ausellé-Bosch
Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 141 52 Stockholm, Sweden
Marina Bluma
Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 141 52 Stockholm, Sweden
Marco Bucci
Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 141 52 Stockholm, Sweden
Konstantinos Chiotis
Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 141 52 Stockholm, Sweden
Amit Kumar
Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 141 52 Stockholm, Sweden
Agneta Nordberg
Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 141 52 Stockholm, Sweden
Reactive astrogliosis is an early event in the continuum of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Current advances in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging provide ways of assessing reactive astrogliosis in the living brain. In this review, we revisit clinical PET imaging and in vitro findings using the multi-tracer approach, and point out that reactive astrogliosis precedes the deposition of Aβ plaques, tau pathology, and neurodegeneration in AD. Furthermore, considering the current view of reactive astrogliosis heterogeneity—more than one subtype of astrocyte involved—in AD, we discuss how astrocytic body fluid biomarkers might fit into trajectories different from that of astrocytic PET imaging. Future research focusing on the development of innovative astrocytic PET radiotracers and fluid biomarkers may provide further insights into the heterogeneity of reactive astrogliosis and improve the detection of AD in its early stages.
