INTRODUCTION:Risk factors associated with sporadic non-amnestic and early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) remain underexamined. METHODS:We investigated a large, clinically heterogeneous, AD cohort for frequencies of established risk factors (hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus) alongside novel factors (non-right-handedness, learning disability, seizures, autoimmune disease). RESULTS:Early-onset AD possessed lower frequencies of established risk factors (hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, all p < 0.001) and higher frequencies of novel factors (non-right-handedness, learning disability, active seizure, all p < 0.001; remote seizure, p = 0.002; and autoimmune disease, p = 0.007). An age at onset < 70 maximally distinguished novel from typical factors. Principal component analysis loaded novel factors into two components, non-right-handedness and learning disability versus seizure and autoimmune disease, which combined, resulted in an exponential decrease in age at onset from one factor alone. DISCUSSION:Identifying novel factors enriched in early-onset and non-amnestic AD introduces new theories of AD susceptibility and phenotypic heterogeneity, with significant implications for disease prediction and treatment. HIGHLIGHTS:We identified a suite of novel factors overrepresented in early-onset and non-amnestic AD. These factors can be broadly conceptualized as neurodevelopmental (non-right-handedness and learning disability) and neural environmental (seizure and autoimmunity). The combination of these factors produced exponential decreases in AD age at onset, compared to each alone, supporting a new theoretical framework for understanding AD risk with implications for disease prediction, prevention, and therapeutic intervention.

Inzicht krijgen in de rol van de radiologie in de klinische praktijk van aandoeningen in de neuroradiologie. Kennis verwerven over drie veelvoorkomende aandoeningen in de klinische praktijk waarin de neuroradiologie een essentiële rol speelt. Praktische handvatten voor de betrokken klinische dokter met betrekking tot rol van de neuroradiologie.

Semiquantitative PET measures such as SUV ratio (SUVr) have several advantages over quantitative measures, such as practical applicability and relative computational simplicity. However, SUVr may potentially be affected by changes in blood flow, whereas quantitative measures such as nondisplaceable binding potential (BPND) are not. For 18F-flor-taucipir PET, the sensitivity of SUVr for changes in blood flow is currently unknown. Therefore, we compared semiquantitative (SUVr) and quantitative (BPND) parameters of longitudinal 18F-flortaucipir PET scans and assessed their vulnerability to changes in blood flow. Methods: Subjects with subjective cognitive decline (n = 38) and Alzheimer disease patients (n = 24) underwent baseline and 2-y fol-low-up dynamic 18F-flortaucipir PET scans. BPND and relative tracer delivery were estimated using receptor parametric mapping, and SUVr at 80-100 min was calculated. Regional SUVrs were compared with corresponding distribution volume ratio (BPND 1 1) using paired ttests. Additionally, simulations were performed to model effects of larger flow changes in different binding categories. Results: Results in sub-jective cognitive decline and Alzheimer disease showed only minor dif-ferences between SUVr and BPND changes over time. Relative tracer delivery changes were small in all groups. Simulations illustrated a vari-able bias for SUVr depending on the amount of binding. Conclusion: SUVr provided an accurate estimate of changes in specific binding for 18F-flortaucipir over a 2-y follow-up during which changes in flow were small. Notwithstanding, simulations showed that large(r) flow changes may affect 18F-flortaucipir SUVr. Given that it is currently unknown to what order of magnitude pharmacotherapeutic interventions may induce changes in cerebral blood flow, caution may be warranted when changes in flow are potentially large(r), as in clinical trials.

Background Dynamic PET imaging studies provide accurate estimates of specific binding, but also measure the relative tracer delivery (R 1 ), which is a proxy for relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Recently, studies suggested that R 1 obtained from different tracers could be used interchangeably and is irrespective of target tissue. However, the similarities or differences of R 1 obtained from different PET tracers still require validation. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to compare R 1 estimates, derived from dynamic [ 18 F]florbetapir (amyloid) and [ 18 F]flortaucipir (tau) PET, in the same subjects with subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Results Voxel-wise analysis presented a small cluster (1.6% of the whole brain) with higher R 1 values for [ 18 F]flortaucipir compared to [ 18 F]florbetapir in the Aβ-negative group. These voxels were part of the hippocampus and the left middle occipital gyrus. In part of the thalamus, midbrain and cerebellum, voxels (2.5% of the whole brain) with higher R 1 values for [ 18 F]florbetapir were observed. In the Aβ-positive group, a cluster (0.2% of the whole brain) of higher R 1 values was observed in part of the hippocampus, right parahippocampal gyrus and in the left sagittal stratum for [ 18 F]flortaucipir compared to [ 18 F]florbetapir. Furthermore, in part of the thalamus, left amygdala, midbrain and right parahippocampal gyrus voxels (0.4% of the whole brain) with higher R 1 values for [ 18 F]florbetapir were observed. Despite these differences, [ 18 F]florbetapir R 1 had high correspondence with [ 18 F]flortaucipir R 1 across all regions of interest (ROIs) and subjects (Aβ−: r 2 = 0.79, slope = 0.85, ICC = 0.76; Aβ+: r 2 = 0.87, slope = 0.93, ICC = 0.77). Conclusion [ 18 F]flortaucipir and [ 18 F]florbetapir showed similar R 1 estimates in cortical regions. This finding, put together with previous studies, indicates that R 1 could be considered a surrogate for relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the cortex and may be used interchangeably, but with caution, regardless of the choice of these two tracers.

Tau accumulation starts during the preclinical phase of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and is closely associated with cognitive decline. For preventive purposes, it is important to identify factors associated with tau accumulation and spread. Studying genetically identical twin‐pairs may give insight into genetic and environmental contributions to tau accumulation. Therefore, we assessed within‐pair similarities in 1) levels of tau and 2) spatial distribution of tau, within a sample of cognitively intact genetically identical twins.

[ 11 C]UCB-J is a PET radioligand that binds to the presynaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A. Therefore, [ 11 C]UCB-J PET may serve as an in vivo marker of synaptic integrity. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the quantitative accuracy and the 28-day test–retest repeatability (TRT) of various parametric quantitative methods for dynamic [ 11 C]UCB-J studies in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and healthy controls (HC). Eight HCs and seven AD patients underwent two 60-min dynamic [ 11 C]UCB-J PET scans with arterial sampling over a 28-day interval. Several plasma-input based and reference-region based parametric methods were used to generate parametric images using metabolite corrected plasma activity as input function or white matter semi-ovale as reference region. Different parametric outcomes were compared regionally with corresponding non-linear regression (NLR) estimates. Furthermore, the 28-day TRT was assessed for all parametric methods. Spectral analysis (SA) and Logan graphical analysis showed high correlations with NLR estimates. Receptor parametric mapping (RPM) and simplified reference tissue model 2 (SRTM2) BP ND , and reference Logan (RLogan) distribution volume ratio (DVR) regional estimates correlated well with plasma-input derived DVR and SRTM BP ND . Among the multilinear reference tissue model (MRTM) methods, MRTM1 had the best correspondence with DVR and SRTM BP ND . Among the parametric methods evaluated, spectral analysis (SA) and SRTM2 were the best plasma-input and reference tissue methods, respectively, to obtain quantitatively accurate and repeatable parametric images for dynamic [ 11 C]UCB-J PET.

Purpose. Early-onset Alzheimer' s disease (EOAD) and late-onset Alzheimer' s disease (LOAD) differ in neuropathological burden and type of cognitive deficits. Assessing tau pathology and relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) measured with [18F]flortaucipir PET in relation to cognition may help explain these differences between EOAD and LOAD. Methods. Seventy-nine amyloid-positive individuals with a clinical diagnosis of AD (EOAD: n=35, age-at-PET=59{+/-}5, MMSE=23{+/-} 4; LOAD: n=44, age-at-PET=71{+/-}5, MMSE=23{+/-}4) underwent a 130 minutes dynamic [18F]flortaucipir PET scan and extensive neuropsychological assessment. We extracted binding potentials (BPND) and R1 (proxy of rCBF) from parametric images using receptor parametric mapping, in medial and lateral temporal, parietal, occipital and frontal regions-of-interest and used nine neuropsychological tests covering memory, attention, language and executive functioning. We first examined differences between EOAD and LOAD in BPND or R1 using ANOVA (region-of-interest analysis) and voxel-wise contrasts. Next, we performed linear regression models to test for potential interaction effects between age-at-onset and BPND/R1 on cognition. Results. Both region-of-interest and voxel-wise contrasts showed higher [18F]flortaucipir BPND values across all neocortical regions in EOAD. By contrast, LOAD patients had lower R1 values (indicative of more reduced rCBF) in medial temporal regions. For both tau and flow in lateral temporal, and occipito-parietal regions, associations with cognitive impairment were stronger in EOAD than in LOAD (EOAD BPND -0.76[≤]st{beta}[≤]-0.48 vs LOAD -0.18[≤]st{beta}[≤]-0.02; EOAD R1 0.37[≤]st{beta}[≤]0.84 vs LOAD -0.25[≤]st{beta}[≤]0.16). Conclusions. Compared to LOAD, the degree of lateral temporal and occipito-parietal tau pathology and relative cerebral blood-flow is more strongly associated with cognition in EOAD.

Background Risk factors associated with sporadic non-amnestic and early-onset Alzheimer’s disease remain underexamined. We investigated a large, clinically heterogeneous Alzheimer’s disease cohort for frequencies of established Alzheimer’s disease risk factors (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, APOE -ɛ4 frequency, and years of education), alongside a suite of novel factors with historical theoretical association (non-right-handedness, learning disability, seizures, and autoimmune disease).Methods In this case-control study, we screened the demographic and health histories of 750 consecutive early-onset and 750 late-onset Alzheimer’s disease patients from the University of California San Francisco Memory and Aging Center for the prevalence of conventional risk and novel Alzheimer’s disease factors and compared these results with 8,859 Alzheimer’s disease individuals from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, and Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville.Results Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease was associated with significantly lower frequencies of established risk factors (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, all p <0.001, APOE -ɛ4, p =0.03) and significantly higher frequencies of novel factors (non-right-handedness, learning disability, active seizure, all p <0.001, remote seizure, p =0.002, and autoimmune disease, p =0.007). Logistic regressions predicting EOAD vs. LOAD controlling for sex, education, APOE -ɛ4 status, typical, and novel risk factors, produced findings consistent with the above. Principal component analysis loaded novel factors into two components, non-right-handedness and learning disability versus seizure and autoimmune disease, and the combination of factors from both components resulted in an exponential decrease in age at onset from any single factor alone. APOE -ɛ4 provided no additional contribution to age at onset decreases within the non-amnestic Alzheimer’s disease cohort but shifted the age of onset 3 years earlier within amnestic presentations ( p =0.013).Conclusions We identified non-right-handedness, learning disability, seizures, and autoimmune disease as novel factors that affect both the age at onset and phenotypical targeting of Alzheimer’s disease. Together these results support a new theoretical framework of neurodegenerative disease susceptibility and that through the collection of detailed developmental and health history, neurodegenerative disease risk in some may be highly predictable, offering new opportunities towards early detection, monitoring, therapeutic intervention, and ultimately disease prevention.### Competing Interest StatementZAM reports no relevant disclosures. RO has been an associate editor for Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, since 2018. NGR is partly funded by the David Eisenberg Mayo Clinic Professorship. IEA reports no relevant disclosures. WS reports no relevant disclosures. LR reports no relevant disclosures. DJO reports no relevant disclosures. KE reports no relevant disclosures. AK reports no relevant disclosures. MGE has received consultancy fees from Biogen. PMB is currently employed at Biogen but solely contributed to this work during fellowship at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center. SS reports receiving consulting fees from Acsel Health, Precision Xtract, and Techspert.io. JY reports grants from the National Institute on Aging during the conduct of the study, grants from National Institute on Aging, Rainwater Charitable Foundation, Transposon Therapeutics, Alector, and the US Department of Defense, and other support from the Mary Oakley Foundation and French Foundation outside the submitted work. RSD reports no disclosures. WMVDF is guest editor Alzheimer Research Therapy (series on SCD, 2018-2019); associate editor Alzheimer Research Therapy (2020 -). PS has received consultancy fees (paid to the institution) from AC Immune, Alkermes, Alnylam, Alzheon, Anavex, Biogen, Brainstorm Cell, Cortexyme, Denali, EIP, ImmunoBrain Checkpoint, GemVax, Genentech, Green Valley, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, PeopleBio, Renew LLC, Roche; he is PI of studies with AC Immune, CogRx, FUJI- film/Toyama, IONIS, UCB, Vivoryon; he is a part-time employee of Life Sciences Partners Amsterdam; he serves on the board of the Brain Research Center. YALP reports no relevant disclosures. EEW reports no relevant disclosures. RR reports no relevant disclosures. DHG reports no relevant disclosures. JHK reports no relevant disclosures. HJR reports no relevant disclosures. KPR reports no relevant disclosures. LTG reports no relevant disclosures. WWS reports no relevant disclosures. VES reports no relevant disclosures. DCP reports no relevant disclosures. BLM reports serving on the Cambridge National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre advisory committee and its subunit, the Biomedical Research Unit in Dementia; serving as a board member for the American Brain Foundation; serving on John Douglas French Alzheimer's Foundation board of directors; serving on the Safely You board of directors; serving as scientific director for the Tau Consortium; serving as medical advisor for and receiving a grant from The Bluefield Project for Frontotemporal Dementia Research; serving as a consultant for Rainwater Charitable Foundation, Stanford Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Buck Institute SAB, Larry L. Hillblom Foundation, University of Texas Center for Brain Health, University of Washington Alzheimer's Disease Research Center EAB, and Harvard University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center EAB; receiving royalties from Guilford Press, Cambridge University Press, Johns Hopkins Press, and Oxford University Press; serving as editor for Neurocase; serving as section editor for Frontiers in Neurology; and receiving grants P30 AG062422, P01 AG019724, R01 AG057234, and T32 AG023481 from the NIH. GDR reports grants from the National Institutes of Health, Alzheimer's Association, the American College of Radiology, Rainwater Charitable Foundation, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly, GE Healthcare, Life Molecular Imaging, and Genentech, as well as personal fees from Axon Neurosciences, Genentech, Johnson & Johnson, F. Hoffman-La Roche, and GE Healthcare outside the submitted work for service on scientific advisory boards (Axon Neurosciences, Eisai, Genentech, and F. Hoffman-La Roche) and a data safety monitoring board (Johnson & Johnson). MLGT reports no relevant disclosures.### Funding StatementThis work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants (AG048291, AG053435, AG019724, AG062422, AG045611, AG062588, DC015544, and NS050915). Additional funds include the Hellman Research Scientist Award, the Arking Foundation for Frontotemporal Dementia, and the Jon and Gale Love fund.### Author DeclarationsI confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.YesThe details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:Ethics committees at the University of California San Francisco, Amsterdam University Medical Center, and Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville as well as all participating National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center sites approved the study of patients' clinical data.I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.YesI understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).YesI have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable.YesAll data used in this study are available for review upon formal request. As the institutional procedures in place at the time participants' gave informed consent do not authorize open data sharing, all requests will need to undergo UCSF MAC regulated procedures including the submission of a materials transfer agreement. The requesting party will need to provide their name and affiliation as well as a brief description of their intended use of the data.

Both plasma tau phosphorylated at threonine-181 (pTau181) and tau PET show potential for detecting Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and predicting clinical progression. In this study, we performed a head-to-head comparison between plasma pTau181 and tau PET along the AD continuum. Methods: We included participants from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort who underwent 18F-flortaucipir (tau) PET and had a plasma sample biobanked within 12 mo from tau PET. Fifty subjective cognitive decline (SCD) participants (31 Aβ-negative and 19 Aβ-positive) and 60 Aβ-positive participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia due to AD were included. A subset had 2-y longitudinal plasma pTau181 and tau PET available (n = 40). Longitudinal neuropsychological test data covering 3.2 ± 2.7 y from both before and after tau PET were available. Plasma pTau181 and tau PET were compared in their accuracies in discriminating between cognitive stage (MCI/AD vs. SCD) and preclinical Aβ status (SCD Aβ-positive vs. SCD Aβ-negative), their associations with cross-sectional and longitudinal neuropsychological test performance, and their longitudinal changes over time. Results: When discriminating between preclinical Aβ status, the area under the curve (AUC) for plasma pTau181 (0.83) and tau PET (entorhinal, 0.87; temporal, 0.85; neocortical, 0.67) were equally high (all DeLong P > 0.05), but tau PET outperformed plasma pTau181 in discriminating MCI/AD from SCD (AUC for plasma pTau181: 0.74; AUCs for tau PET: entorhinal, 0.89; temporal, 0.92; neocortical, 0.89) (all P < 0.01). Overall, tau PET showed stronger associations with cognitive decline and was associated with a wider variety of cognitive tests than plasma pTau181 (plasma pTau181, -0.02 > β < -0.12; tau PET, -0.01 > β < -0.22). Both plasma pTau181 and tau PET increased more steeply over time in MCI/AD than in SCD (P < 0.05), but only tau PET annual changes were associated with cognitive decline. Conclusion: Our results suggest that plasma pTau181 and tau PET perform equally well in identifying Aβ pathology but that tau PET better monitors disease stage and clinical progression.

Abstract Tau accumulation starts during the preclinical phase of Alzheimer’s disease and is closely associated with cognitive decline. For preventive purposes, it is important to identify factors associated with tau accumulation and spread. Studying genetically identical twin-pairs may give insight into genetic and environmental contributions to tau pathology, as similarities in identical twin-pairs largely result from genetic factors, while differences in identical twin-pairs can largely be attributed to non-shared, environmental factors. This study aimed to examine similarities and dissimilarities in a cohort of genetically identical older twin-pairs in (i) tau load; and (ii) spatial distribution of tau, measured with 18F-flortaucipir PET. We selected 78 genetically identical twins (39 pairs; average age 73 ± 6 years), enriched for amyloid-β pathology and APOE ε4 carriership, who underwent dynamic 18F-flortaucipir PET. We extracted binding potentials (BPND) in entorhinal, temporal, widespread neocortical and global regions, and examined within-pair similarities in BPND using age and sex corrected intra-class correlations. Furthermore, we tested whether twin-pairs showed a more similar spatial 18F-flortaucipir distribution compared to non-twin pairs, and whether the participant’s co-twin could be identified solely based on the spatial 18F-flortaucipir distribution. Last, we explored whether environmental (e.g. physical activity, obesity) factors could explain observed differences in twins of a pair in 18F-flortaucipir BPND. On visual inspection, Alzheimer’s disease-like 18F-flortaucipir PET patterns were observed, and although we mainly identified similarities in twin-pairs, some pairs showed strong dissimilarities. 18F-flortaucipir BPND was correlated in twins in the entorhinal (r = 0.40; P = 0.01), neocortical (r = 0.59; P < 0.01) and global (r = 0.56; P < 0.01) regions, but not in the temporal region (r = 0.20; P = 0.10). The 18F-flortaucipir distribution pattern was significantly more similar between twins of the same pair [mean r = 0.27; standard deviation (SD) = 0.09] than between non-twin pairings of participants (mean r = 0.01; SD = 0.10) (P < 0.01), also after correcting for proxies of off-target binding. Based on the spatial 18F-flortaucipir distribution, we could identify with an accuracy of 86% which twins belonged to the same pair. Finally, within-pair differences in 18F-flortaucipir BPND were associated with within-pair differences in depressive symptoms (0.37 < β < 0.56), physical activity (−0.41 < β < −0.42) and social activity (−0.32 < β < −0.36) (all P < 0.05). Overall, identical twin-pairs were comparable in tau load and spatial distribution, highlighting the important role of genetic factors in the accumulation and spreading of tau pathology. Considering also the presence of dissimilarities in tau pathology in identical twin-pairs, our results additionally support a role for (potentially modifiable) environmental factors in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease pathological processes, which may be of interest for future prevention strategies.

ABSTRACT Purpose Semi-quantitative PET measures can be affected by changes in blood flow, whereas quantitative measures are not. The aim of the study was to compare semi-quantitative(SUVr) and quantitative(R 1 , BP ND ) parameters of longitudinal tau PET scans with [ 18 F]flortaucipir, with respect to changes in blood flow. Methods Subjects with subjective cognitive decline(SCD; n=38) and Alzheimer’s disease(AD) patients(n=24) underwent baseline(BL) and 2-year follow-up(FU) dynamic [ 18 F]flortaucipir PET scans. BP ND and R 1 were estimated using RPM and SUVr (80-100min) was calculated (cerebellar gray as reference). For each region-of-interest ((trans)entorhinal, limbic and neocortical) and parameter, %change was calculated. Regional SUVrs were compared to corresponding DVR (= BP ND +1) using paired T-tests. Additionally, simulations were performed to model effects of flow changes on BP ND and SUVr in different binding categories. Thereafter, %bias for SUVr with respect to underlying binding and flow were evaluated. Results In SCD, there was a difference between %change in the (trans)entorhinal ROI (DVR 2.56% vs SUVr 1.85%) only. In AD, a difference was found in the limbic ROI (DVR 6.61% vs SUVr 7.52%) only. R 1 changes were small(+0.7% in SCD and -1.6% in AD). Simulations illustrated with increasing flow a decreased %bias for SUVr in low binding conditions, whereas a slightly increased bias was observed in high binding conditions. Conclusion SUVr provided an accurate estimate of specific binding for [ 18 F]flortaucipir over a two-year follow-up. However, simulations showed that flow changes can affect [ 18 F]flortaucipir SUVr, hence DVR/BP ND should be preferred in more advanced disease stages and/or conditions that could induce significant flow changes like pharmacotherapeutic interventions.

The simplified reference tissue model (SRTM) is commonly applied for the quantification of brain positron emission tomography (PET) studies, particularly because it avoids arterial cannulation. SRTM requires a validated reference region which is obtained by baseline-blocking or displacement studies. Once a reference region is validated, the use should be verified for each new subject. This verification normally requires volume of distribution (VT) of a reference region. However, performing dynamic scanning and arterial sampling is not always possible, specifically in elderly subjects and in advanced disease stages. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of non-invasive standardised uptake value (SUV) approaches, in comparison to VT, as a verification of the previously validated grey matter cerebellum reference region for [18F]flortaucipir and [18F]florbetapir PET imaging in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and controls. Dynamic 130-min [18F]flortaucipir PET scans obtained from nineteen subjects (10 AD patients) and 90-min [18F]florbetapir dynamic scans obtained from fourteen subjects (8 AD patients) were included. Regional VT’s were estimated for both tracers and were considered the standard verification of the previously validated reference region. Non-invasive SUVs corrected for body weight (SUVBW), lean body mass (SUL), and body surface area (SUVBSA) were obtained by using later time intervals of the dynamic scans. Simulations were also performed to assess the effect of flow and specific binding (BPND) on the SUVs. A low SUV corresponded well with a low VT for both [18F]flortaucipir and [18F]florbetapir. Simulation confirmed that SUVs were only slightly affected by flow changes and that increases in SUV were predominantly determined by the presence of specific binding. In situations where dynamic scanning and arterial sampling is not possible, a low SUV(80–100 min) for [18F]flortaucipir and a low SUV(50–70 min) for [18F]florbetapir may be used as indication for absence of specific binding in the grey matter cerebellum reference region.

BACKGROUND:The 2017 Alzheimer's disease (AD) Strategic Biomarker Roadmap (SBR) structured the validation of AD diagnostic biomarkers into 5 phases, systematically assessing analytical validity (Phases 1-2), clinical validity (Phases 3-4), and clinical utility (Phase 5) through primary and secondary Aims. This framework allows to map knowledge gaps and research priorities, accelerating the route towards clinical implementation. Within an initiative aimed to assess the development of biomarkers of tau pathology, we revised this methodology consistently with progress in AD research. METHODS:We critically appraised the adequacy of the 2017 Biomarker Roadmap within current diagnostic frameworks, discussed updates at a workshop convening the Alzheimer's Association and 8 leading AD biomarker research groups, and detailed the methods to allow consistent assessment of aims achievement for tau and other AD diagnostic biomarkers. RESULTS:The 2020 update applies to all AD diagnostic biomarkers. In Phases 2-3, we admitted a greater variety of study designs (e.g., cross-sectional in addition to longitudinal) and reference standards (e.g., biomarker confirmation in addition to clinical progression) based on construct (in addition to criterion) validity. We structured a systematic data extraction to enable transparent and formal evidence assessment procedures. Finally, we have clarified issues that need to be addressed to generate data eligible to evidence-to-decision procedures. DISCUSSION:This revision allows for more versatile and precise assessment of existing evidence, keeps up with theoretical developments, and helps clinical researchers in producing evidence suitable for evidence-to-decision procedures. Compliance with this methodology is essential to implement AD biomarkers efficiently in clinical research and diagnostics.

OBJECTIVE:To assess the [18F]flortaucipir binding distribution across MAPT mutations in presymptomatic and symptomatic carriers.METHODS:We compared regional [18F]flortaucipir binding potential (BPND) derived from a 130-minute dynamic [18F]flortaucipir PET scan in 9 (pre)symptomatic MAPT mutation carriers (4 with P301L [1 symptomatic], 2 with R406W [1 symptomatic], 1 presymptomatic L315R, 1 presymptomatic S320F, and 1 symptomatic G272V carrier) with 30 cognitively normal controls and 52 patients with Alzheimer disease.RESULTS:[18F]Flortaucipir BPND images showed overall highest binding in the symptomatic carriers. This was most pronounced in the symptomatic R406W carrier in whom tau binding exceeded the normal control range in the anterior cingulate cortex, insula, amygdala, temporal, parietal, and frontal lobe. Elevated medial temporal lobe BPND was observed in a presymptomatic R406W carrier. The single symptomatic carrier and 1 of the 3 presymptomatic P301L carriers showed elevated [18F]flortaucipir BPND in the insula, parietal, and frontal lobe compared to controls. The symptomatic G272V carrier exhibited a widespread elevated cortical BPND, with at neuropathologic examination a combination of 3R pathology and encephalitis. The L315R presymptomatic mutation carrier showed higher frontal BPND compared to controls. The BPND values of the S320F presymptomatic mutation carrier fell within the range of controls.CONCLUSION:Presymptomatic MAPT mutation carriers already showed subtle elevated tau binding, whereas symptomatic MAPT mutation carriers showed a more marked increase in [18F]flortaucipir BPND. Tau deposition was most pronounced in R406W MAPT (pre)symptomatic mutation carriers, which is associated with both 3R and 4R tau accumulation. Thus, [18F]flortaucipir may serve as an early biomarker for MAPT mutation carriers in mutations that cause 3R/4R tauopathies.

Abstract Background The mechanism of synaptic loss in Alzheimer’s disease is poorly understood and may be associated with tau pathology. In this combined positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) study, we aimed to investigate spatial associations between regional tau pathology ([18F]flortaucipir PET), synaptic density (synaptic vesicle 2A [11C]UCB-J PET) and synaptic function (MEG) in Alzheimer’s disease. Methods Seven amyloid-positive Alzheimer’s disease subjects from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort underwent dynamic 130-min [18F]flortaucipir PET, dynamic 60-min [11C]UCB-J PET with arterial sampling and 2 × 5-min resting-state MEG measurement. [18F]flortaucipir- and [11C]UCB-J-specific binding (binding potential, BPND) and MEG spectral measures (relative delta, theta and alpha power; broadband power; and peak frequency) were assessed in cortical brain regions of interest. Associations between regional [18F]flortaucipir BPND, [11C]UCB-J BPND and MEG spectral measures were assessed using Spearman correlations and generalized estimating equation models. Results Across subjects, higher regional [18F]flortaucipir uptake was associated with lower [11C]UCB-J uptake. Within subjects, the association between [11C]UCB-J and [18F]flortaucipir depended on within-subject neocortical tau load; negative associations were observed when neocortical tau load was high, gradually changing into opposite patterns with decreasing neocortical tau burden. Both higher [18F]flortaucipir and lower [11C]UCB-J uptake were associated with altered synaptic function, indicative of slowing of oscillatory activity, most pronounced in the occipital lobe. Conclusions These results indicate that in Alzheimer’s disease, tau pathology is closely associated with reduced synaptic density and synaptic dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE:The clinical phenotype of the rare behavioural variant of Alzheimer's disease (bvAD) is insufficiently understood. Given the strong clinico-anatomical correlations of tau pathology in AD, we investigated the distribution of tau deposits in bvAD, in-vivo and ex-vivo, using positron emission tomography (PET) and postmortem examination. METHODS:For the tau PET study, seven amyloid-β positive bvAD patients underwent [18F]flortaucipir or [18F]RO948 PET. We converted tau PET uptake values into standardised (W-)scores, adjusting for age, sex and mini mental state examination in a 'typical' memory-predominant AD (n=205) group. W-scores were computed within entorhinal, temporoparietal, medial and lateral prefrontal, insular and whole-brain regions-of-interest, frontal-to-entorhinal and frontal-to-parietal ratios and within intrinsic functional connectivity network templates. For the postmortem study, the percentage of AT8 (tau)-positive area in hippocampus CA1, temporal, parietal, frontal and insular cortices were compared between autopsy-confirmed patients with bvAD (n=8) and typical AD (tAD;n=7). RESULTS:Individual regional W-scores ≥1.96 (corresponding to p<0.05) were observed in three cases, that is, case #5: medial prefrontal cortex (W=2.13) and anterior default mode network (W=3.79), case #2: lateral prefrontal cortex (W=2.79) and salience network (W=2.77), and case #7: frontal-to-entorhinal ratio (W=2.04). The remaining four cases fell within the normal distributions of the tAD group. Postmortem AT8 staining indicated no group-level regional differences in phosphorylated tau levels between bvAD and tAD (all p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS:Both in-vivo and ex-vivo, patients with bvAD showed heterogeneous distributions of tau pathology. Since key regions involved in behavioural regulation were not consistently disproportionally affected by tau pathology, other factors are more likely driving the clinical phenotype in bvAD.

Dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) protocols allow for accurate quantification of [18F]flortaucipir-specific binding. However, dynamic acquisitions can be challenging given the long required scan duration of 130 min. The current study assessed the effect of shorter scan protocols for [18F]flortaucipir on its quantitative accuracy. Two study cohorts with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and healthy controls (HC) were included. All subjects underwent a 130-min dynamic [18F]flortaucipir PET scan consisting of two parts (0–60/80–130 min) post-injection. Arterial sampling was acquired during scanning of the first cohort only. For the second cohort, a second PET scan was acquired within 1–4 weeks of the first PET scan to assess test-retest repeatability (TRT). Three alternative time intervals were explored for the second part of the scan: 80–120, 80–110 and 80–100 min. Furthermore, the first part of the scan was also varied: 0–50, 0–40 and 0–30 min time intervals were assessed. The gap in the reference TACs was interpolated using four different interpolation methods: population-based input function 2T4k_VB (POP-IP_2T4k_VB), cubic, linear and exponential. Regional binding potential (BPND) and relative tracer delivery (R1) values estimated using simplified reference tissue model (SRTM) and/or receptor parametric mapping (RPM). The different scan protocols were compared to the respective values estimated using the original scan acquisition. In addition, TRT of the RPM BPND and R1 values estimated using the optimal shortest scan duration was also assessed. RPM BPND and R1 obtained using 0–30/80–100 min scan and POP-IP_2T4k_VB reference region interpolation had an excellent correlation with the respective parametric values estimated using the original scan duration (r2 > 0.95). The TRT of RPM BPND and R1 using the shortest scan duration was − 1 ± 5 % and − 1 ± 6 % respectively. This study demonstrated that [18F]flortaucipir PET scan can be acquired with sufficient quantitative accuracy using only 50 min of dual-time-window scanning time.

In the last decade, the research community focused on defining reliable biomarkers for the early detection of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). In 2017, the Geneva AD Biomarker Roadmap Initiative adapted the framework for the systematic validation of oncological diagnostic biomarkers to AD, with the aim to accelerate their development and implementation in clinical practice. With this work we assess the maturity of [18F]flortaucipir and we define the research priorities.