17 April 2024
At a recent Lunch & Learn meeting at the Alzheimercentrum Amsterdam, part of the Amsterdam UMC, Emma Coomans spoke about the contribution of PET scans to the diagnosis and prognosis of dementia. These meetings, in which experts share their latest findings, are attracting increasing numbers of interested people.
Emma Coomans explained that a PET scan is an imaging technique that uses a slightly radioactive substance to visualise biological processes in the body. In the context of dementia, this technique helps to identify the causes of the condition.
Several causes can underlie dementia. "With an amyloid-PET scan, we can detect the presence of amyloid proteins in the brain. If these proteins are not visible, then we can rule out Alzheimer's disease with great certainty," Coomans clarified.
The FDG-PET scan is used to look at brain regions that absorb less sugar, which can be indicative of different forms of dementia. In addition, the tau-PET scan has been approved in America, which helps diagnose Alzheimer's disease by showing the presence of tau proteins. These proteins are related to the symptoms and rate of cognitive decline in patients.
The session ended with a question-and-answer session where there was a lot of interest in the standardisation of PET scans in diagnostic processes. However, Coomans stressed that a PET scan is not always necessary for accurate diagnosis, but can be crucial in complex cases.
"Research does not stand still. We continue to explore new possibilities for better diagnosis and prognosis of different forms of dementia," Coomans concluded, pointing to the need for further developments in PET scan technologies for conditions such as frontotemporal dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies.