Imaging of tau pathology in a tauopathy mouse model and in Alzheimer patients compared to normal controls.

ABSTRACT: Accumulation of intracellular tau fibrils has been the focus of research on the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related tauopathies. Here, we have developed a class of tau ligands, phenyl/pyridinyl-butadienyl-benzothiazoles/benzothiazoliums (PBBs), for visualizing diverse tau inclusions in brains of living patients with AD or non-AD tauopathies and animal models of these disorders. In vivo optical and positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging of a transgenic mouse model demonstrated sensitive detection of tau inclusions by PBBs. A pyridinated PBB, [(11)C]PBB3, was next applied in a clinical PET study, and its robust signal in the AD hippocampus wherein tau pathology is enriched contrasted strikingly with that of a senile plaque radioligand, [(11)C]Pittsburgh Compound-B ([(11)C]PIB). [(11)C]PBB3-PET data were also consistent with the spreading of tau pathology with AD progression. Furthermore, increased [(11)C]PBB3 signals were found in a corticobasal syndrome patient negative for [(11)C]PIB-PET.

SUBMITTER: Maruyama M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3809845 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature