de Leon MJ, Convit A, Wolf OT, Tarshish CY, Desanti S, Rusinek H, Tsui W, Kandil E, Scherer AJ, Roche A, Imossi A, Thorn E, Bobinski M, Caraos C, Lesbre P, Schlyer D, Poirier J, Reisberg B, Fowler J. Prediction of cognitive decline in normal elderly subjects with 2-[(18)F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose/poitron-emission tomography (FDG/PET). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 Sep 11;98(19):10966-71. PubMed Abstract, View on AlzSWAN

REAGENTS/MATERIAL:
Over a period of 6 years and after extensive baseline evaluations and screenings (see below), a 36-month follow-up MRI and PET study was completed. For MRI, 144 normal community-residing elderly were enrolled at the baseline of whom 105 completed the follow-up. At the baseline, 67/144 subjects were also enrolled in the PET study, of whom 48 completed the 36-month PET evaluation (see below). The clinical evaluations included medical (history, physical, and laboratory), neurologic, psychiatric, neuropsychologic tests, and MRI scans. The psychometric battery was comprised of 10 tests administered in 2 sessions. These included the designs test [memory for abstract shapes], the digit–symbol substitution test [an attention and psychomotor speed measure], the confrontational object-naming test, the visual recognition memory test [a measure of visual memory span], and the immediate and delayed recall of paragraphs, paired associates, and the shopping list [a selective reminding test]. ApoE genotype was determined in the Poirier laboratory by using standard procedures. MRI scans were acquired by using a-1.5 T General Electric Signa imager. PET scans, using 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-Dglucose (FDG), were obtained with a Siemens (Iselin, NJ) CTI-931 scanner. The scanner generates 15 axial-contiguous 6.7-mm slices covering 101 mm, with 6.2-6.7-mm full-width at half maximum (FWHM) resolution.

FUTURE DIRECTION:
Continued study is required to determine the clinical utility and the pathologic and physiologic bases of METglu reductions in cognitively normal individuals.