Study of Brain Resilience Mechanisms in Early-Onset Alzheimers and Its Focal Variants Using PET and MRI Scans

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying mechanisms of neuronal resilience in patients with Alzheimers disease who have early onset symptoms before 65 years old, as well as in those with a focal form called posterior cortical atrophy PCA. These patients show different cognitive and brain damage patterns despite having similar pathological features like amyloid and tau protein deposits. The study aims to understand why some patients show resistance to brain degeneration through brain network reorganization and resilience, which is important for improving disease management and future treatments. The study includes three groups 15 patients with early-onset Alzheimers disease AD-Y, 15 patients with PCA, and 15 healthy control participants. All participants will undergo a combined PETMRI scan session lasting about 3 hours. This imaging includes a 30-minute PET scan with an injected tracer and various MRI sequences to assess brain structure, function, and pathology simultaneously. The study is non-randomized and observational in terms of group assignment. During the study, participants will have brain imaging to highlight resilient neural networks and quantify brain impairment related to Alzheimers disease within three months. Researchers will also analyze cerebrospinal fluid to correlate tau protein levels with brain lesions and develop models linking brain structural changes to functional alterations. The study monitors participants closely for safety and aims to clarify brain mechanisms underlying resilience to neurodegeneration, which could guide future therapies.

MECHANISMS OF NEURONAL RESILIENCE IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND ITS FOCAL VARIANTS: A PET/MR STUDY