It is today possible to detect accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brain with specific radio ligands that are visualized using PET imaging technology. With amyloid PET imaging it is not only possible to detect deposition of Aβ but also to follow the process over time and look at the regional distribution of Aβ within the brain. The method have also been used to show that 10-30% of cognitively healthy elderly people may have accumulation of Aβ and that not all with diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease have a pathological accumulation of Aβ in their brains.

The BioFINDER team is in collaboration with prof Per Wollmer and his team at Lund University and GE Healthcare (USA) measuring the Aβ deposition in the brain of the cognitively healthy elderly and the patients with a mild cognitive impairment. The examination is done using PET imaging and the radio ligand ¹⁸F-Flutemetamol (Vizamyl) that now has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medical Agency (EMA). All subjects are examined on the same type of scanner (a Philips Gemini TF 16) to avoid technical biases in the results.