Fluoro-2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (FDG)-PET in APOEε4 Carriers in the Australian Population

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Rimajova, Mira^{a; b} | Lenzo, Nat P.^{a; c} | Wu, Jing-Shan^{a; b} | Bates, Kristyn A.^{a; b} | Campbell, Andrew^c | Dhaliwal, Satvinder S.^d | McCarthy, Michael^{c; e} | Rodrigues, Mark^{a; b} | Paton, Athena^{a; b} | Rowe, Christopher^f | Foster, Jonathan K.^{a; b} | Martins, Ralph N.^{a; b; *}

Affiliations: [a] Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care and School of Exercise Biomedical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia | [b] Sir James McCusker Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit and School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, University of Western Australia and Hollywood Private Hospital (M650), 184 Hampden Road, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia | [c] Department of Nuclear Medicine, Royal Perth Hospital, GPO Box X2213, Perth, WA 6001, Australia | [d] School of Public Health, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia | [e] WA PET/Cyclotron service, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia | [f] Nuclear Medicine and Centre for PET, Austin Hospital, PO Box 5555, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: R.N. Martins, School of Exercise, Biomedical and Health Science, 100 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia. Tel.: +61 08 6304 5456 or +61 08 9347 4200; Fax: +61 08 6304 5851 or +61 08 9347 4212; E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected].

Abstract: Apolipoprotein E-ϵ4 (APOEε4) has been associated with increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and regional cerebral glucose hypometabolism, as measured by fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). We report here preliminary data from studies that aim to determine whether cerebral glucose hypometabolism is observed in APOEε4 positive, cognitively intact individuals between the ages of 50 and 80, and whether there is an additional impact of subjective memory complainer (SMC) status on glucose metabolism determined by NeuroStat analysis. FDG-PET was conducted in 30 community dwelling, APOE-ε4 carriers without clinical evidence of dementia and objective cognitive impairment as assessed using a neuropsychological battery. Neurological soft-signs (NSS) were also assessed. Glucose hypometabolism was demonstrated in the anterior and posterior cingulate cortex and in the temporal association cortices in APOEε4 carriers compared to the normative NeuroStat database. This pattern was particularly evident in APOEε4 heterozygous individuals. SMC showed hypometabolism in the aforementioned brain regions, whereas non-SMC showed no significant pattern of glucose hypometabolism. FDG-PET with NeuroStat analysis showed that APOEε4 carriers have mild glucose hypometabolism in areas associated with AD. SMC may be associated with AD-related differences in regional cerebral glucose metabolism. These findings are currently being investigated in a larger group of APOEε4 carriers.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, apolipoprotein E, cognitive aging, FDG-PET, memory

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2008-13203

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 137-146, 2008