FDG-PET assessment of the locus coeruleus in Alzheimer’s disease

Sensitive and reliable in vivo imaging of the locus coeruleus (LC) is important to develop and evaluate its potential as a biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It is not known whether AD-related alterations in LC integrity can be detected using 18F-labelled fluor...

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Main Authors: Kathy Y. Liu, Julio Acosta-Cabronero, Young T. Hong, Yeo-Jin Yi, Dorothea Hämmerer, Robert Howard
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021-03-01
Series:NeuroImage: Reports
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666956020300027
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author Kathy Y. Liu
Julio Acosta-Cabronero
Young T. Hong
Yeo-Jin Yi
Dorothea Hämmerer
Robert Howard
author_facet Kathy Y. Liu
Julio Acosta-Cabronero
Young T. Hong
Yeo-Jin Yi
Dorothea Hämmerer
Robert Howard
author_sort Kathy Y. Liu
collection DOAJ
description Sensitive and reliable in vivo imaging of the locus coeruleus (LC) is important to develop and evaluate its potential as a biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It is not known whether AD-related alterations in LC integrity can be detected using 18F-labelled fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). Mean FDG-PET images from AD patients (N ​= ​193) and controls (N ​= ​256) from the ADNI database were co-registered to a study-wise anatomical template. Regional LC median standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) values were obtained using four previously published LC masks and normalized to values from pons and cerebellar vermis reference regions. To support the validity of our methods, other regions previously reported to be most and least affected metabolically in AD were also compared to controls. The LC did not show between-group differences in FDG-PET signal, whereas the mammillary bodies did, despite these regions having comparable volumes and SUVR ranges. Brain regions previously reported to be most and least affected metabolically in AD compared to controls showed medium-to-large and small effect sizes for SUVR differences respectively. The results do not support the current application of LC FDG-PET signal as an in vivo biomarker for AD. Methodological and demographic factors potentially contributing to these findings are discussed. Future research may investigate age-related differences in LC FDG-PET signal and higher resolution images to fully explore its biomarker potential.
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spelling doaj-art-ca6480957eea44ebb4b67b726411c52a2025-08-20T02:19:47ZengElsevierNeuroImage: Reports2666-95602021-03-011110000210.1016/j.ynirp.2020.100002FDG-PET assessment of the locus coeruleus in Alzheimer’s diseaseKathy Y. Liu0Julio Acosta-Cabronero1Young T. Hong2Yeo-Jin Yi3Dorothea Hämmerer4Robert Howard5Division of Psychiatry, University College London, UK; Corresponding author. Division of Psychiatry, 6th Floor Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 7NF, UK.Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK; Tenoke Ltd., Cambridge, UKWolfson Brain Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, UKGerman Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, GermanyGerman Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UKDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, UKSensitive and reliable in vivo imaging of the locus coeruleus (LC) is important to develop and evaluate its potential as a biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It is not known whether AD-related alterations in LC integrity can be detected using 18F-labelled fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). Mean FDG-PET images from AD patients (N ​= ​193) and controls (N ​= ​256) from the ADNI database were co-registered to a study-wise anatomical template. Regional LC median standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) values were obtained using four previously published LC masks and normalized to values from pons and cerebellar vermis reference regions. To support the validity of our methods, other regions previously reported to be most and least affected metabolically in AD were also compared to controls. The LC did not show between-group differences in FDG-PET signal, whereas the mammillary bodies did, despite these regions having comparable volumes and SUVR ranges. Brain regions previously reported to be most and least affected metabolically in AD compared to controls showed medium-to-large and small effect sizes for SUVR differences respectively. The results do not support the current application of LC FDG-PET signal as an in vivo biomarker for AD. Methodological and demographic factors potentially contributing to these findings are discussed. Future research may investigate age-related differences in LC FDG-PET signal and higher resolution images to fully explore its biomarker potential.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666956020300027Locus coeruleusAlzheimer diseasePositron-emission tomographyFluorodeoxyglucose F18
spellingShingle Kathy Y. Liu
Julio Acosta-Cabronero
Young T. Hong
Yeo-Jin Yi
Dorothea Hämmerer
Robert Howard
FDG-PET assessment of the locus coeruleus in Alzheimer’s disease
NeuroImage: Reports
Locus coeruleus
Alzheimer disease
Positron-emission tomography
Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
title FDG-PET assessment of the locus coeruleus in Alzheimer’s disease
title_full FDG-PET assessment of the locus coeruleus in Alzheimer’s disease
title_fullStr FDG-PET assessment of the locus coeruleus in Alzheimer’s disease
title_full_unstemmed FDG-PET assessment of the locus coeruleus in Alzheimer’s disease
title_short FDG-PET assessment of the locus coeruleus in Alzheimer’s disease
title_sort fdg pet assessment of the locus coeruleus in alzheimer s disease
topic Locus coeruleus
Alzheimer disease
Positron-emission tomography
Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666956020300027
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