Frontiers in Neuroscience (May 2022)

PET Imaging in Animal Models of Alzheimer’s Disease

  • Baosheng Chen,
  • Bernadette Marquez-Nostra,
  • Erika Belitzky,
  • Takuya Toyonaga,
  • Jie Tong,
  • Yiyun Huang,
  • Zhengxin Cai

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.872509
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16

Abstract

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The successful development and translation of PET imaging agents targeting β-amyloid plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau tangles have allowed for in vivo detection of these hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) antemortem. Amyloid and tau PET have been incorporated into the A/T/N scheme for AD characterization and have become an integral part of ongoing clinical trials to screen patients for enrollment, prove drug action mechanisms, and monitor therapeutic effects. Meanwhile, preclinical PET imaging in animal models of AD can provide supportive information for mechanistic studies. With the recent advancement of gene editing technologies and AD animal model development, preclinical PET imaging in AD models will further facilitate our understanding of AD pathogenesis/progression and the development of novel treatments. In this study, we review the current state-of-the-art in preclinical PET imaging using animal models of AD and suggest future research directions.

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