Amyloid PET imaging: Standardization and integration with other Alzheimer's disease biomarkers

Amyloid plaques are a neuropathologic hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which can be imaged through positron emission tomography (PET) technology using radiopharmaceuticals that selectively bind to the fibrillar aggregates of amyloid-β plaques (Amy-PET). Several radiotracers for amyloid PET have been investigated, including11C-Pittsburgh compound B and the18F-labeled compounds such as18F-florbetaben,18F-florbetapir, and18F-flutemetamol. Besides the injected radiotracer, images can be interpreted by means of visual/qualitative, semiquantitative, and quantitative criteria. Here we summarize the main differences between the available radiotracers for Amy-PET, the proposed interpretation criteria, and analytical methods.