SPECT Imaging Agents for Detecting Cerebral β-Amyloid Plaques

The development of radiotracers for use in vivo to image β -amyloid (A β ) plaques in cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an important, active area of research. The presence of A β aggregates in the brain is generally accepted as a hallmark of AD. Since the only definitive diagnosis of AD is by postmortem staining of affected brain tissue, the development of techniques which enable one to image A β plaques in vivo has been strongly desired. Furthermore, the quantitative evaluation of A β plaques in the brain could facilitate evaluation of the efficacy of antiamyloid therapies currently under development. This paper reviews the current situation in the development of agents for SPECT-based imaging of A β plaques in Alzheimer's brains.